1. Project Name: Creation of Corpus-based Introductory Textbook on Lexicology
2. Outline of the Project:
The final purpose of the project is to create an introductory textbook for teaching lexicology to undergraduates. With this purpose in mind, the project activities include the following.
(1) Creation of an Introductory Textbook on Lexicology for Undergraduates
The number of introductory textbooks on lexicology for undergraduates is very limited compared to the ones on grammatical theory. Therefore, this project intends to create an introductory textbook with practice questions especially for the students of the university (including international students). Various Japanese databases will be used for inserting sentence examples and word examples.
(2) Acquisition of Vocabulary Education-Related Literatures
We collect the preceding literatures that discuss how vocabulary education should be conducted in Japanese language education. These literatures will be used for the analysis of other activities in the project.
(3) Survey on the Vocabulary of Textbooks for Elementary Japanese
We investigate and analyze the lexical and grammatical nature of the verbs used in “Elementary Japanese: Revised Edition” (written and edited by the Japanese Language Center for International Students, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, 1994).
(4) Creation of a Handbook for the Study of Vocabulary and Grammar using the ‘Taiyo Corpus’
The ‘Taiyo Corpus’ is a very important tool and linguistic resource (database) of modern Japanese. However, this resource is not necessarily familiar to the students of the university (including international students), and so is not used very often. Thus, we intend to create a handbook for the students of the university.
(5) Analysis on the Semantic Distribution of Transitive Sentences and Causative Sentences
By using a wide range of existing Japanese databases, we analyze and organize transitive and causative sentences from the standpoint of their semantic similarities as a sentence, then use them to create practice questions for the introductory textbook on lexicology.
3. Core Member in Charge: Hayatsu, Emiko
4. Collaborating Researchers:
Faculty member of the University
Hanazono, Satoru (Associate Professor, Japanese Language Center for International Students, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) (until 1998)
○Junior Fellows, Research Fellows of the University’s Graduate Schools
Akmatalieva, Jakshylyk; Kim, Yeongnam; Kim BongJung; Ko, Kyoungmi; Ko, Shujin; Sato, Yu; Orestar, Sabranna; Narrin, Taphon; Chatani, Yasuyo; Zhang Xian Shan; Naosaran, Arpaporn; Nakayama, Kenichi; Satomi, Fukuhara; Byun, SoonYoung; Mok, Junsoo; Mongkolchai, Akrachai ; Joka Sanja; Li, Dan
○Other Graduate Students of the University
Arai, Yoshihiro; Kim, MinKyung; Kashimoto, Rui; Miyanoya, Nozomi
5. Progress:
The current statuses of the five activities above are as follows:
(1) Creation of an Introductory Textbook on Lexicology for Undergraduates
As of July 2011, the draft is for the most part completed, and the rest is expected to be finished by the end of August. After modifications through discussions and considerations among the authors, the whole script is expected to be completed by November and published as “Introductory Textbook on Lexicology for the Students of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (title tentative)” at the beginning of January 2012.
(2) Acquisition of Vocabulary Through Education-Related Literatures
In the fiscal year 2010, we reported the results of the acquisition and investigation in “Trend of Study on Japanese Vocabulary Education - What we can see from bibliographic survey –” (co-authored by Hayatsu and Fukuhara) in ‘Corpus-based Linguistics and Language Education 5, Field Research, Linguistic Corpus, and Linguistic Informatics II.’
(3) Survey on Vocabulary of Textbooks for Elementary Japanese
In the fiscal year 2009, a working paper titled “An Analysis of Vocabulary used in Elementary Textbooks - Verbs (1) Lexical Nature” was published. In the fiscal year 2011, we have been analyzing the grammatical nature and finished writing approximately 80 percent of the draft. “An Analysis of Vocabulary used in Elementary Textbooks - Verbs (1) Grammatical Nature” is scheduled to be published in January 2012.
(4) Creation of a Handbook for the Study of Vocabulary and Grammar using the ‘Taiyo Corpus’
As a handbook for the students of the university, ‘An Introduction to ‘Taiyo Corpus’ and Case Studies,’ which consists of a general information (an overview of ‘Taiyo Corpus’), a practice book (which describes the search techniques by using 12 words) and a reference book, was published in the fiscal year 2010.
(5) Survey on the Semantic Distribution of Transitive Sentences and Causative Sentences
The survey just began in June 2011, and it has been proceeding smoothly. A working paper is expected to be completed by the end of November and is scheduled to be published as ‘Semantic Distribution of Transitive Sentences and Causative Sentences - Reference - (title tentative)’ in January 2012.
6. Accomplishments:
(6-1) Published
○Fiscal 2008: Edited by Hayatsu, Emiko; Compiled by Nakayama, Kenichi: ‘Handbooks in Corpus-based Linguistics and Language Education II: Japanese Language Study Handbook for the Students of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies’
○Fiscal 2009: Edited by Hayatsu, Emiko; Compiled and Written by Akmatalieva, Jakshylyk; Kim BongJung; Byun SoonYoung ‘An Analysis of Vocabulary used in Elementary Textbooks - Verbs (1) Lexical Nature’ (Corpora in Corpus-based Linguistics and Language Education 2)
○Fiscal 2010: Edited by Hayatsu, Emiko; Kenichi ‘Handbooks in Corpus-based Linguistics and Language Education IV: Japanese Language Study Handbook for the Students of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies - Enlarged and Revised Edition 2010-
○Fiscal 2010: Edited by Hayatsu, Emiko; Sato, Yu ‘Handbooks in Corpus-based Linguistics and Language Education VI: Overview of ‘Taiyo Corpus’ and Case Studies’
(6-2) To be Published
○Fiscal 2011: Edited by Hayatsu, Emiko, Written by Akmatalieva, Jakshylyk; Kim, BongJung; Byun, SoonYoung; Li, Dan ‘An Analysis of Vocabulary used in Elementary Textbooks - Verbs (2) Grammatical Nature’
○Fiscal 2011: To be Published, Co-authored by Hayatsu, Emiko; Sato, Yu; Chatani, Yasuyo; Nakayama, Kenichi; Fukuhara, Satomi, ‘Introductory Textbook on Lexicology for University Students’
○Fiscal 2011: To be Published, Edited by Hayatsu, Emiko, Written by Shiva, Ayako, ‘Semantic Distribution of Passive Sentences : a Corpus-based Approach of Modern Japasene’
○Fiscal 2011: To be Published, Co-authored by Hayatsu, Emiko; Ko, Kyoungmi, ‘Semantic Distribution of Transitive Sentences and Causative Sentences : a Corpus-based Approach of Modern Japasene’