The Process of Understanding Technical Terms in Daily Life

An Analysis from the Perspective of Genre Acquisition

Abstract

Even as Japan continues to diversify with increasing numbers of foreign residents, efforts are being made to incorporate language education into daily life. This research records the process by which automobile maintenance-related technical terms become "indispensible" for research participants, over repeated use in various contexts. Based on these observations, this study attempts to understand and provide a model for word acquisition.

From this study it was evident, first, that in the process of acquiring understanding of the technical terms, participants were repeatedly exposed to the words in their daily lives, in varying contexts. Moreover, use of technical terms became a valuable resource in enabling participants to become equals with their peers, in their school "community".