A Study of Adverb Usage Using “International Corpus of Japanese as a Second Language”

Classification Tree Analysis for Level, Situation, and Learning Environment

Abstract

This study investigated the use of the adverb of degree “totemo” and its synonyms, “kekkou” and “sugoku”, by learners and native speakers of Japanese using “International Corpus of Japanese as a Second Language”. The results of a classification tree analysis using three variables as explanatory variables: level (beginner, intermediate, advanced, native speaker), situation (four types of tasks), and learning environment (domestic, foreign, native speaker) showed that learner level had the strongest effect on the tendency to use different adverbs. The results also revealed that intermediate and advanced learners and native speakers have different tendencies to use adverbs depending on the situation, while beginner learners have different tendencies to use adverbs depending on the learning environment. Furthermore, although the results for the learners' results approached the results for the native speakers at higher levels, the frequent use of “sugoku” identified at the advanced level suggested the need to provide information on refraining from the use of certain words in certain situations.