Genre-based Teaching of Mimetics in the Beginner-level Classroom

Translating TV commercials

Abstract

This paper reports on a genre-based teaching of mimetics (onomatopoeic expressions) in the beginner-level Japanese language classroom. The frequency and role of mimetics vary from genre to genre;the use of mimetics is considered particularly effective in advertisements including TV commercials. The purpose of the session is to make beginner-level students aware of the role that mimetics play in a specific genre (i.e. advertisements/commercials) as well as the effect they create.Adopting a plurilingual approach (i.e. valuing and utilizing students'existing linguistic and cultural repertoire), 19 beginner-level students of Japanese with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds engaged in the translation of TV commercials. The data consist of the classroom recording, students'reflective journals, and a third-party's evaluation of students'English translation. The results show that students mobilized existing linguistic and cultural resources to compare languages and translate Japanese mimetics to English and other languages. Furthermore, students' reflections demonstrated that they considered not only the meanings and usage of specific mimetics used in the class, but also the role and effects of mimetics in TV commercials, suggesting students'heightened awareness of mimetics.