A Consideration of the Difficulties of Rewriting to Plain Japanese Centered on Grammatical Forms

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study of students’ difficulties in rewriting to plain Japanese conducted in 2023, principally with regards to grammatical forms and expressions. At the first and final classes of the Spring 2023 term, students were tasked with rewriting to plain Japanese; the study then analyzed the responses according to points of transcription. As a result of the study, we found that there were students who had difficulties specifying locations where transcription was applicable in cases of double negatives, passive voice, and difficult positionals. These issues are surmised to result from insufficient knowledge of Japanese grammar and failure to use available tools. The position is that additional training to deepen comprehension of Japanese grammar and promotion of the use of tools is necessary.