31070 - Japanese Language and Linguistics 1

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will acquire basic knowledge of Japanese grammar and elementary linguistic competence in both written and oral Japanese. The student will be able to read, understand and produce non-complex written texts and manage everyday conversations. They develop active and passive elementary translation skills. Acquired skills are located at level A1 of Common European Framework of Reference, that is level N5 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) organized by the Japan Foundation.

Course contents

Language lecture, Prof. VITUCCI (first semester): classes in phonetics, linguistics and grammar with in-class exercises; Units 1-16 of the textbook Manabou! Nihongo – Shokyū 1.

Practical classes 1-A (first and second semester), Prof. Arakawa: hiragana, katakana, grammar exercises, conversation, role-play, composition, Italian-Japanese translation, listening and dictation.

Practical classes 1-B (first and second semester), Prof. Kiyohara: kanji and vocabulary.

Practical classes 1-C (first and second semester), Prof. Kiyohara: introduction to writing and reading texts.

Readings/Bibliography

Required Materials

• Manabou! Nihongo. Corso di giapponese per principianti. Livello 1 – (edited by F. Comotti, A. Maurizi and F. Vitucci), Zanichelli (2019).
• Kanji Look and Learn – The Japan Times, Tokyo (2009): textbook and workbook.
  (texts must be purchased in advance)

Handouts

• Handout from Manabou! Nihongo (1) by Prof. Arakawa.
• Practical classes handout by Prof. Kiyohara.
• Hiragana and Katakana handout.
• Introduction to Kanji handout.
  (handouts will be available on VIRTUALE)

Dictionaries required for study

• iOS application: Imiwa
• Android application: Yomiwa/Aedict

Recommended grammars and supplementary teaching materials

• Tsukaeru Nihongo Bunpō Gaidobukku – Nakanishi K. et al., Hitsuji Shobō, Tokyo (2020).
• Grammatica giapponese – Mastrangelo M., Ozawa N., Saito M., Hoepli, Milan (2016).
• Grammatica d'uso della lingua giapponese – Oue J., Manieri A., Hoepli, Milan (2019).
• Kurabete wakaru: te-ni-o-wa Nihongo joshi jiten – Ujihara Y. et al., J Research Shuppan (2023).

Teaching methods

The course will consist of in-person lectures with the instructor, language practice classes (lettorato) and tutoring sessions. The lessons will be strongly characterised by intensive interaction. Active participation in class is required so that participants can develop an autonomous linguistic awareness through the exercises presented in class by the instructor.

Assessment methods

FINAL EXAM: written and oral.

(THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ATTENDING AND NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS)

・WRITTEN

The written exam, held in the classroom with the support of a laptop/tablet (on which the Japanese keyboard must be installed beforehand), will be divided into four sections in order to assess the knowledge and skills acquired:

1. linguistics and grammar test (25 minutes);
2. kanji and vocabulary test (25 minutes);
3. comprehension and production test (90 minutes).

The final grade will be the average of each individual part of the written exam. To pass the written exam, it will be necessary to pass each individual test.

Please note:

a) The written exam will be valid for the duration of the calendar year.
b) The use of smartphones is not permitted under any circumstances.
c) The teaching staff is in no way responsible for any malfunctions/network connection problems.

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: we recommend contacting the relevant University office immediately (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ) and the instructor, in order to identify together the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for the exam. Any requests for accommodation must be submitted within 30 days of the exam date, by sending an email to the instructor and putting in Cc the address disabilita@unibo.it [mailto:disabilita@unibo.it] (in case of disability) or dsa@unibo.it [mailto:dsa@unibo.it] (for students with SLD).

ONGOING ASSESSMENTS (PROVE IN ITINERE)

Two ongoing assessments are planned for the GRAMMAR and KANJI modules (Vitucci - Kiyohara) for students of the current academic year.

The grammar assessment will take place at the end of the first semester (ONLINE).

The Kanji assessment will be divided into two parts: the first at the end of the first semester, at the same time as the grammar assessment (ONLINE), and the second during the first written exam session (May).

Please note: The partial assessments are considered valid for the three sessions of the relevant academic year.

・ORAL

The oral exam will aim to assess:

1. the ability to read texts taken from the textbook without the support of hiragana readings;
2. the ability to orally rework written content (texts, images);
3. linguistic skills (appropriate and confident interaction, correct and increasingly sophisticated grammar and vocabulary) through free conversation, role-play and the discussion of simple topics chosen by the student.

Total estimated time for the exam: approximately 10-15 minutes.

A comprehensive understanding of the topics covered will be assessed as excellent, whereas a competence excessively tied to the materials provided and lacking interpretative support will be considered positive but not high. Proven and repeated difficulty in creating logical and descriptive connections between phenomena and content will result in an insufficient evaluation.

AI can be a useful tool to support individual study through in-depth exploration, summaries, and self-assessment activities. As regards the assessment of learning, the use of AI is prohibited during in-person examinations. Any such use constitutes a violation of academic integrity

JLPT BONUS

An assessment bonus will be awarded to all students who have passed level 5 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test or who have attended at least a three-month summer Japanese language course in Japan.

Please note: The certification must be presented to the instructor in its ORIGINAL document form upon passing the ORAL exam.

Examples of scoring:

Maximum scores (30 – 30 cum laude) when the candidate has: 1) assimilated all the content relating to the language grammar module presented in class; 2) achieved a full understanding of the kanji module; 3) been able to develop their own translation style, balancing the contextual elements of the source and target languages; 4) been able to handle the oral conversation with excellence.

Intermediate scores (24 to 29) when the candidate has: 1) partially assimilated the language content presented in class; 2) achieved a fair understanding of the kanji module; 3) been able to develop their own translation style, albeit with minor difficulties in adaptation; 4) handled the oral content fairly well.

Minimum scores (18 to 23) when the candidate has: 1) sufficiently assimilated the content relating to the Japanese language module presented in class; 2) achieved a sufficient, albeit weak, understanding of the kanji module; 3) been able to develop their own translation style but with marked difficulties in adaptation; 4) not demonstrated high skills in oral conversation.

Insufficient score (below 18) when the candidate has not: 1) assimilated the content relating to the Japanese language module presented in class; 2) shown a sufficient understanding of the kanji module; 3) been able to handle issues relating to translation; 4) been able to manage conversation in the language.

Teaching tools

Audiovisual materials and handouts. A projector will be used to display educational video clips, summaries, concepts, textual excerpts and images. The Virtuale platform will be used to store all the course's teaching materials.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Vitucci