Japanese Language Education

Overview

Following the formation of Keio University’s Department of Japanese Language Education in 1958, a course for training Japanese language educators was established in 1972. In 2007, it was restructured to form the postgraduate Japanese Language Education Program within the Department of Japanese Literature. Our main objective is to qualify professionals in the fields of the Japanese language and Japanese language education and equip them with specialized expertise. Our curriculum and research rest on the two main pillars of acquiring solid theoretical base knowledge of phonetics, phonology, grammar, vocabulary, graphemics, and orthography and putting this theoretical knowledge into practice. Another axiom of this program is to enable non-native speakers of Japanese to make active use of their language skills in order to adapt to Japanese social customs and meaningfully participate in cultural exchange. Moreover, because our academic faculty largely belong to the Keio University Center for Japanese Studies, postgraduate students are regularly provided with opportunities to acquire practical teaching experience in the form of teaching assistantships and otherwise.

Faculty

Name/Position

Department/Specialty/Research Interest/Publication

  • KIMURA, Yoshiyuki
    Professor

    Japanese Language Education
    Japanese Language

    I mainly research the history of vocabulary, spelling, and how kango (漢語) is used in the modern Japanese language (from the late-Edo and Meiji eras through today). Analysis of dictionaries (Japanese, bilingual, and other specialty dictionaries) in each era is a big topic as well. At the same time, I also consider the history of discourse structure based on the colloquial data of each era.

    Publication
    • 『図解日本語』（三省堂、2006）
    • 『図解日本の語彙』（三省堂、2011）
    • 『辞書の成り立ち』（2021、朝倉書店）
    • 『わかりやすい日本語』（くろしお出版、2016）
    • 『新選国語辞典 第10版』（小学館、2022）
  • TANAKA, Taeko
    Professor

    Japanese Language Education

    Publication
    • 「会話の応答におけるメタ言語表現の使用―言語形式への言及―」『日本語と日本語教育』51（2023）
    • 「会話の応答に見られるメタ言語表現―シナリオを例として―」『日本語と日本語教育』46（2018）
    • 「質問に対する回答回避発話―ドラマのシナリオを例に―」『日本語と日本語教育』44（2016）
    • 「ドラマのシナリオに見られる『励まし発話』の諸相」『日本語と日本語教育』43（2015）
    • 「ドラマのシナリオに見られる『慰め発話』の諸相」『日本語と日本語教育』40（2012）
  • MURATA, Minori
    Professor

    Japanese Language Education
    Japanese Language Education, Stylometry

    The aim of my research is identifying the genre of a text through a multivariate analysis of the use of conjunctive words, particle-phrases, and compound verbs, among others, that appear at the surface level of expression in a text. Those might be considered as providing important clues for understanding the structure of the text. Several results revealed that conjunctive words, as well as particle-phrases, are an important indicator in distinguishing different genres of text. In addition, another main objective of my research is the analysis of Sino-Japanese, especially of those words consisting of four morphemes. Those studies are expected to contribute to the improvement of teaching methods for Japanese for academic purposes.

    Publication
    • 「論述文の文体的特徴」『文化情報学事典』勉誠出版（2019）
    • BCCWJに現れた統語的複合動詞「～つける」－実例を踏まえた指導法を目指して－『日本語と日本語教育』51（2023）
    • 『日本語複合動詞活用辞典』研究社（2023）
    • BCCWJに現れた複合動詞「押しつける」『日本語と日本語教育』48（2020）
    • 二字漢語「自己」を構成要素とする四字漢語の使用頻度調査‐BCCWJを用いて‐『日本語と日本語教育』45（2017）