From Native-speaker Likeness to Self-representation in Language: Views from the Acquisition of Japanese Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

SUMMARY

This study considers the degree to which a language user’s own will is recognized in language education. It also looks at the use of Japanese transitive and intransitive verbs to reexamine the differentiation between language use that is native-like, and language use that is representative of the learner’s self. The reexamination indicates that shifting previous approach to a more usage-centric acquisition process can create opportunities for language users to make expressive choices focused on what they wish to say. This shift may be accomplished by introducing backward design and critical pragmatics into teaching practices, thereby enabling the pursuit of self-representing language use, and prompting individuality in each learner without binding the learner solely to linguistic rules.