A Study on the Acquisition of English Prepositions by Japanese EFL Learners: Influence of Prototypicality, Semantic Relations, Familiarity, and L2 Proficiency
Previous studies have generally stated that L2 learners have difficulty mastering English prepositions with less prototypical meanings, while some studies have shown the opposite. This suggests that prototypicality may not necessarily be the only influence on learning English prepositions. The current study examined the acquisition of prepositions in, on, and at by Japanese EFL learners and further explored the impact of prototypicality, L2 proficiency, semantic relations (temporal, spatial, and abstract usages), and familiarity on prepositional knowledge. The results showed that L2 competence is essential to obtain prepositions in abstract usages. In addition, a negative correlation was found between prototypicality and accuracy. There was also a significant interaction between prototypicality and familiarity, where the lower the prototypicality, the greater the influence of familiarity on acquisition accuracy. A higher level of familiarity compensates for the difficulty of the extension meanings brought to them by the prepositions, which occurs in different L2 proficiency groups. The error patterns found in the study not only can help teachers understand the complex extensions acquired by Japanese EFL learners but also provide a clear view of the difficulty encountered in the process of acquiring English prepositions.
Abstract 일본요약 Introduction Literature Review Prototypes of the Prepositions in, on, and at Extension of Prepositions in, on, and at L2 Learners’ Acquisition of Prepositions Methodology Participants Instruments Procedure Data Analysis Results English Proficiency Test Familiarity Rating Task Statistical Analysis through Generalized Linear Mixed-effects Model Discussion Conclusion Acknowledgements The Authors Appendix
키워드
second language acquisitionprepositionsEFLprototypicalitysemantic relations
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.
간행물
간행물명
The Journal of AsiaTEFL
간기
계간
pISSN
1738-3102
eISSN
2466-1511
수록기간
2004~2026
등재여부
SCOPUS,KCI 등재
십진분류
KDC 740DDC 420
이 권호 내 다른 논문 / The Journal of AsiaTEFL Vol.21 No.1