Spatial Components in the Use of Count Nouns Among English Speakers and Japanese Speakers of English as a Second Language

Bibliographic Data

ID4502913
AuthorsM Michael Akiyama (University of Michigan–Dearborn, corresponding author), Nancy Williams, Nancy I Williams (0000-0003-3690-6691, Williams College)
Year1996
Volume46
Issue2
Pages217-231
Publication date1996-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage Learning (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0023-8333 • E-ISSN: 1467-9922
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-1770.1996.tb01235.x
OpenAlexW2119751467
LanguageEN
References cited25

We asked 40 English speakers and 40 Japanese speakers of English as a second language (ESL) to select a singular form or plural form of a noun in a certain linguistic context (e.g., a bag of apple or apples) involving containers and food. The size of container (small vs. large) and food (small vs. large) was controlled. The size of the small containers was comparable to that of tablespoons, and the size of the large containers was comparable to that of 4-quart pans. The size of small food items was comparable to that of strawberries, and the size of the large food items was comparable to that of apples. Both English speakers and Japanese ESL speakers selected the singular noun form more often than the plural noun form when a small container was paired with a large food item (e.g., a table-spoon of apple). Men selected the singular noun form more often than women in all contexts. These results suggest a strong influence of nonlinguistic factors on the use of linguistic rules even among ESL speakers

Context (archaeology) · Linguistics · Noun · Plural · Categorization, perception, and language · History · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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