A Core-schema-Based Semantic Analysis of Chinese Verb "qu": Exploring the possibility of lexical teaching with intercultural understanding

溝上他 (2009) は，あらゆる言語はその言語の話者の精神生活や文化の投影であり，異なる言語文化における｢ことばの意味｣は新たな発想や異なった思考世界の捉え方の存在を実感する文化的気づさを提供してくれると指摘している。この点を踏まえ本稿は，異文化理解を射程に入れた語嚢指導の可能性を探ることを目的としたものである。具体的には中国語の基本動詞｢取 (qu)｣を事例として，日本語の対訳では捉え難い｢取 (qu)｣で表現される意味世界は，どのようなまとまりとして捉えられるかを探った。考察の結果から，｢取 (qu)｣の意味世界は，日本語の｢取る｣とは異なり，｢必ず対象を主体側に移せるところ（移動元）から対象を利用／活用するために主体側に移すこと｣という共通の意味を有しているまとまりとして捉えられることを指摘した

Knowledge and planning in duration judgments in two moving objects

Male and female undergraduates (N=144) in the departments of science and technology and departments of liberal arts observed two cars traveling in the same direction for various duration on one of four CRT displays in a class. Then, they chose the car that they believed had run longer and rated confidence of their choosing. There were two sessions each of which consisted of nine problems. Before each session, they were asked what they were going to pay attention to and how they were going to solve the problems. Between the two sessions, they discussed about how to solve the problems in pairs, for five minutes. Main results were as follows: (a) They were more likely to use the knowledge ""duration=temporal end point-temporal start point"" than the knowledge ""duration=distance/speed."" (b) Men used more often both kinds of knowledge with planning than women did. (c) There were no effects of the discussion

コア図式を用いた多義動詞「とる」の認知意味論的説明

岡山大学Okayama University本稿は語彙習得支援のための基礎研究として日本語多義動詞「とる」を事例として取り上げ,その多義用法の説明をおこなったものである。「とる」は国語辞典(『大辞林第二版』)において,大区分として10用法,小区分は実に73項目に分類されており,非常に多義的である。また学習辞典においても国語辞典と同様に多義的意味が羅列され,それぞれの意味に学習者母語による対応づけがなされている。しかし,こうした辞典の意味提示のあり方では,第二言語として日本語を学ぼうとする者にとってはその複雑さに目がいってしまい,「とる」の持つ意味の共通性・統一性を理解し,獲得することは難しい。本稿ではこのような問題の解決策として,認知意味論の一つの手法である「共通図式モデル」の考え方を援用し,「とる」に共通する一つのイメージ(「コア図式」)からその多義を説明することを試みた。まず「とる」の多様な用法の詳細な分析と統合によってコア図式はどのようなものであるかを示し,続いて「とる」の多様な用法がそのコア図式に焦点化操作を加えることによって説明できることを明らかにした。「コア図式」を媒介とした意味記述は学習者が複雑な「とる」の多義をひとつのイメージに取りまとめて理解できるような支援ツールになりうると考える。In this study, a Japanese polysemous verb, toru was selected as a target of investigation and the diversity of its semantic spread was accounted for with the use of a cognitive semantic approach. In dealing with polysemy, however, there are two approaches within the domain of cognitive semantics. One is called "the lexical network model," and the other is called "the core schema model". This study supports "the core schema model" in the analysis of multiple senses of toru. The term "core" refers to a context-independent, overarching meaning of the word, and "core schema," to a simple graphic representation of the core meaning in question. In this study, the core schema of toru is presented on the basis of a careful semantic analysis of diverse usages, and it is claimed that the diverse usages of toru are coherently explained away within the core schema plus a cognitive manipulation of "focalization." We suggest that in teaching Japanese as a second language, the core schema approach becomes a powerful pedagogical devise when learners start to understand difficult senses through a common thread, in that learners are able to see how the senses are connected and why a single word is used across different usages

siRNA down-regulation of FGA mRNA in HepG2 cells demonstrated that heterozygous abnormality of the A alpha-chain gene does not affect the plasma fibrinogen level

Introduction: We encountered two afibrinogenemia patients with homozygous and compound heterozygous FGA mutation. Of interest, the patients' parents, who are heterozygous, had normal levels of plasma fibrinogen; thus, we hypothesized that liver FGA mRNA levels were higher than those of FGB and/or FGG mRNA. Materials and Methods: To test the hypothesis, we quantitated mRNA levels of a normal liver and a human hepatocyte cell line, HepG2 cells, and performed siRNA-mediated down-regulation of the fibrinogen gene in HepG2 cells. mRNA levels were determined using real-time quantitative RT-PCR for three normal livers and HepG2 cells. Down-regulation of FGA, FGB, or FGG in HepG2 cells was performed by the addition of siRNA corresponding to each of the three genes, and the mRNA levels determined in the cells and the secreted fibrinogen concentration in media. Results: The mRNA level of normal human liver was FGA=FGB>FGG and the FGG mRNA level was about 2-fold lower than the others, that of HepG2 cells was FGA>FGG>FGB and FGA mRNA was approximately 2- or 4-fold higher than FGG mRNA and FGB mRNA. When FGA, FGB, or FGG mRNA expression levels were down-regulated by nearby 50%, fibrinogen concentrations in media were 78%, 49%, or 57% of the control, respectively. Conclusions: Our results suggest that FGG mRNA levels limit fibrinogen expression in normal liver and HepG2 cells and that 50% reduction of FGA mRNA levels would not limit fibrinogen expression in normal liver and HepG2 cells.ArticleTHROMBOSIS RESEARCH. 131(4):342-348 (2013)journal articl

Molecular analysis of afibrinogenemic mutations caused by a homozygous FGA1238 bp deletion, and a compound heterozygous FGA1238 bp deletion and novel FGA c.54+3A > C substitution

We identified two afibrinogenemic girls in two Japanese families and performed molecular analysis to clarify the mechanisms of fibrinogen defects. Genetic analyses were performed by PCR amplification of the fibrinogen gene and DNA sequence analysis. To analyze the mechanisms of mature fibrinogen defects in plasma, we cloned minigenes from the proposita's PCR-amplified DNA, transfected them into CHO cells, and sequenced the cDNA amplified with the RT reaction followed by PCR. Sequence analyses indicated that one was caused by a homozygous 1238 bp deletion of the fibrinogen A alpha-chain gene (FGA Delta 1238) and the other was a compound heterozygous FGA Delta 1238 and novel FGA c.54+3A > C substitution. The minigene corresponding to FGA Delta 1238 generates two aberrant mRNAs, both of which may induce a frameshift and terminate prematurely. In contrast, the minigene corresponding to FGA c.54+3A > C generates two aberrant mRNAs, one of which may induce a frameshift and terminate prematurely, and the other uses a cryptic 5' splice site in exon 1, resulting in the deletion of six amino acids in signal peptides. Molecular analyses of both genetic variants suggest that the lack of a mature A alpha-chain, impaired assembly, and/or secretion of the fibrinogen molecule may lead to afibrinogenemia.ArticleINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY. 96(1):39-46 (2012)journal articl

コア ズシキ ヲ モチイタ フクゴウドウシ シュウトク シエン ノ タメノ キソ ケンキュウ : 「 トリ～ 」 ヲ ジレイ ト シテ

日本語複合動詞は文法形式と語彙の両面の要素を持ち、日本語の語彙の中でも極めて重要な役割を果たすが、日本語を学ぶ者にとってその習得は容易ではないことが指摘されている。本稿は、近年新しい意味提示の方法として提案されているコア(コア図式)を用いた複合動詞の習得支援の方向性と可能性を探ったものであり、事例として多義動詞「とる」を前項とする「とり+後項動詞(V2)」を取り上げている。 　 「とり+V2」は「財布をとり出す」「ゴミをとり除く」のように「とり」に本動詞「とる」の意味がそのまま引き継がれているものと、「先生をとり囲む」「靴をとり揃える」のように「とる」の意味は希薄化しているようにみえるものがある。本稿では、このいずれの場合であっても日本語母語話者の「とり+V2」の意味づけは本動詞「とる」のコアをベースになされていると仮定し、母語話者を対象とした調査データからこの点を明らかにした。具体的には、「囲む」と「とり囲む」のような「単純動詞」と「とり+V2」の意味的差異に着目した調査をおこない、その結果から母語話者の「とり+V2」の意味理解は「とる」のコアがさまざまな形で反映していることを示した。またこれと併せて非母語話者についても同様の調査をおこない、非母語話者は「とり+V2」の意味をどのように捉えているかを観察した。 　 その結果、非母語話者の捉え方には母語話者とは異なる特徴がみられた。上記の結果を踏まえると、非母語話者が母語話者と「とり+V2」の意味を共有するためには、「とる」のコアを介在させた意味理解が望ましいと考えられるが、コアは言語使用や学習を通して徐々に形成されるものである。そこで本稿では、時間的制約のためコアの内在化には困難を伴う非母語話者に対しては、自然な内在化を待つだけでなく、意識的なコアの内在化を助けるような支援ツールが必要であることを提案し、その支援の方向性を提示した。The Japanese compound verb has two significant functions—as a vocabulary component and as a grammatical component; therefore, some researchers have claimed that it is rather difficult for non-native speakers to understand the Japanese compound verbs properly. This paper aims at a practical proposal to help Japanese learners understand the usage of Japanese compound verbs “tori-V2” by using a core theory.The Japanese compound verb “tori-V2”consists of a polysemous verb “toru” as its previous verb; however, the meaning of “toru ” varies according to the V2. For ex-ample, the original meaning of “toru” is maintained in the construction “saifu wo tori-dasu,” while it changes slightly in “sensei wo tori-kakomu.”This paper hypothesizes that Japanese native speakers understand “tori-V2” on the basis of a core schema of “toru;” this hypothesis was tested through a research. In this research, we asked the participants to describe the difference between a single verb such as “kakomu” and a compound verb (tori-V2) such as “tori-kakomu” in a sentence. The answers provided by the Japanese participants indicate that their under-standing of “tori-V2” reflects the core schema of “toru.” The answers of the non-Japanese participants indicate that they understand the prototypical meaning of “tori-V2” but not through its core schema.Based on the result of this research, we suggest that non-native speakers should share a core schema of “tour” with native speakers to understand the meaning of “tori-V2.” However, non-native speakers would take a long time to acquire a core schema because it can be developed only through the accumulation of a wide range of experiences with regard to the word usage. Therefore, in the case of non-native speakers who usually have to learn Japanese within a limited time, some specific support tools are necessary. This paper proposes a practical way to support non-native speakers in developing the core schema of “toru” and understanding the meaning of “tori-V2.

Notices about using elementary statistics in psychology

Improper uses of elementary statistics that were often observed in beginners' manuscripts and papers were collected and better ways were suggested. This paper consists of three parts: About descriptive statistics, multivariate analyses, and statistical tests

ニホンゴ ガクシュウシャ ニ ヨル フクゴウ ドウシ コム ノ シュウトク

本稿は、「～こむ」を後要素とする複合動詞を取り上げ、日本語の超上級者を対象にその習得状況をみたものである。「～こむ」の用法は大きく分けて、 q「～の中に入る」という意味で理解されるタイプ(例: プールに飛びこむ)、w「～の中にしっかり / 奥深く～する」という意味で理解されるタイプ(例: 庭に埋めこむ)、e「V1 があらわす状態へ変化し、 その状態に固着する」という意味で理解されるタイプ(例: 黙りこむ)、r「反復行為により生じる状態(多くは満足できる状態)への変化」という意味で理解されるタイプ(例: 十分に走りこむ)の4タイプがある。そしてこれらの意味タイプは、前項動詞と後項動詞「～こむ」の結合のあり方によって生じるものである。 本調査では習得状況を探る方法として、「～こむ」を後要素とする複合動詞54語を提示しそれらを用いて短文を作るように求めたが、産出された誤用の多くは「～こむ」が単純動詞に強意を添えるという用法(例: 庭にカプセルを埋める≒庭にカプセルを埋めこむ=上記の意味タイプ w) の類推から、〈N＋V1≒N＋{V1＋こむ}〉 といった方略を作り上げ、 その方略を過剰に適用していると推測されるものであった。以上から、調査対象者たちは「～こむ」には多様な意味があることは知っていても、それらの意味をどの結合の「V1＋こむ」(V1は前項動詞)と結びつけてよいか分からないということが明らかになった。この結果は、「～こむ」の多様な意味を自力で学ぶことには限界があり、何らかの支援が必要であることを示唆するものであると考えられる。This study focused on V + komu form in Japanese and investigated what semantic areas of the form tend to remain problematic even among highly advanced learners of Japanese. Here, the diverse usages of the suffix -komu were grouped into four semantic categories: (1) the sense of "entering into" (e.g., puuru ni tobi-komu [jump into the pool]), (2) the sense of emphasizing thoroughness (e.g., niwa ni hana wo ue-komu [plant flowers in the garden]), (3) the sense of emphasizing a change of state and the adherence to it. (e.g., damari-komu [fall into silence and remain silent]), and (4) the sense of emphasizing the attainment of the target state though the repetition of the action (e.g., juubun ni hashiri-komu [do the running exercise to one\u27s satisfaction]). These semantic categories are a result of the V and the -komu form. Procedurally, 54 compound verbs in the form of V + komu were systematically selected, and highly advanced learners of Japanese (5 Chinese and 5 Koreans) were asked to produce simple sentences using those verbs. The overall results show that even though learners know the polysemous usages of the -komu form, they fail to use the form fully. This, in turn, suggests that the semantics of the -komu form cannot be fully acquired through incidental learning, and that some pedagogical devices should be given to learners to acquire semantic intuitions about the form

Real-time measurement of frozen gait in patient with parkinsonism using a sensor-controlled walker

Patients with Parkinson’s disease develop gait disturbances. Although the use of walkers is very effective for maintaining locomotive ability, patients who have symptoms such as frozen gait (FG) and festinating gait may fall even with a walker equipped with a brake as they cannot use the brake well in an emergency and fail to follow the accelerating walker. None of the studies on walking aids to date have addressed real-time detection of FG or the use of this information for the control of the walking aid, monitoring of the state of improvement in the ambulatory function, or evaluation of the effect of the use of a walker. In this study, we evaluated whether the state called FG, a characteristic symptom of Parkinson’s disease, can be detected by the use of a sensor-controlled walker with heel-to-toe pressure sensors. The following two measurements were carried out in one male healthy and a one male patient with stage 3 Parkinson’s disease by the Hoehn-Yahr scale showing mild muscle rigidity, hypokinesia, and FG. In the healthy subject, the heel-to-toe pressure showed smooth heel-to-toe shifts during the standing phase. In the patient with Parkinson’s disease, the heel-to-toe response time was about 2.4 times longer than in the healthy subject at the beginning of walking, and FG could be recorded as the difficulty in lifting the foot by the toes. Also, when FG was observed during walking, the pressure waves recorded by the same sensors showed two peaks occurring at a short interval, indicating double landings

ニホンゴ ガクシュウシャ ニヨル ゴイ シュウトク サイカイッパンカ テンケイカ ノ カンテン カラ

本稿は動詞の意味習得に焦点を当て、語の概念形成の観点からその習得状況を見ようとするものである。語の概念(＝意味知識)は「差異化・一般化・典型化」の三つの認知作用を通して形成されるとする「概念形成理論」 (深谷、田中 1996) を援用し、学習者が動詞「割る」に対して持つ知識を三つの観点から調査した。「割る」は基本語彙として学習の初期に提示されることが多くまた日常的にも頻繁に使われることから、一見、習得が容易であると考えられる項目であるが、調査の結果、学習の進んだ上級者においても、「割る」を適用する意味境界に関する知識は不十分であり、また多義的拡張用法に関する意味理解も不十分であることが明らかになった。このことは語彙指導において、意味的に関連する類義語との意味境界や多義的拡張の転用のプロセスにも目を向けた指導の必要性を示唆するものであると考えられる。This study is an attempt at exploring the developmental process of acquiring the multiple senses of a basic verb by second language learners of Japanese. The theoretical framework adopted in this study is a model of concept formation (Fukaya and Tanaka 1996), which emphasizes the interaction of three cognitive processes (i.e., differentiation, generalization, and typicalization). The lexical item selected here is "waru," a Japanese verb roughly equivalent to the English "divide." A questionnaire was devised in such a way as to measure lexical competence on the part of learners. Fifty native speakers of Japanese and 100 learners of Japanese participated in this study. In teaching Japanese, the verb "waru" tends to be presented to learners in early stages, since it is one of the most commonly used verbs in daily conversation. We might hence assume that "waru" is an item relatively easy to acquire. The results of this study, however, show that even advanced learners of Japanese find it difficult to appropriately set the semantic boundaries of "waru" and to fully use the multiple senses of the verb. This study has pedagogical implications for lexical teaching: that is, in addition to presenting the different uses of a lexical item, we have to systematically show how semantic extension takes place in the item in question, and how semantically-related items are differentiated from each other