Faculty of Arts and Sciences

We propose an effective pronunciation learning system using speech processing and recognition technologies. For automatic phonemic error detection, we perform pronunciation error prediction with orthographic text. To improve its reliability, we adopt speaker adaptation and segment input pair-wise classifier for effective feedback to generate personalized instruction. We also adopt formant frequency normalization technique (ML-VTLN and MMSE). The effect of adaptation and normalization is addressed in the paper.

We address sentence-level stress detection of English for Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) by Japanese students. Stress models are set up by considering syllable structure and position of the syllable in a phrase, which will provide diagnostic information for students. We also propose a two-stage recognition method that first detects the presence of stress and then identifies the stress level using different weighted combinations of acoustic features. The modeling is coherent with conventional linguistic observations. The method achieves stress recognition rate of 95.1% for native and 84.1% for Japanese speakers.

We present a novel Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) system for Japanese students who learn English as a second language. We regard formant structure of Japanese vowels pronounced by Japanese learners of English as their own formant structure. This structure is transformed to learner's ideal English formant structure based on the relationship between English and Japanese articulation charts both of which are corresponded with formant structure. When the learners' English pronunciation is input, it is compared with the estimated ideal one, and articulatory instructions are given. We verified that the mapping and estimation of English vowel parameters are correct with bilingual speakers' speech and observed the learning effect with five students who tried the system.

We have developed an original CALL system designed to detect and diagnose English pronunciation errors in Japanese learners' speech. We have begun using the system in an English class at Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan. The class consists of approximately 40 students, and the students have practiced pronunciation using this system on four separate occasions. Sixty minutes was allocated for each practice session, providing a total of 9600 minutes of practice time per academic calender year. We have examined the recorded speech data and corresponding speech recognition results obtained for the first semester of the preceeding academic year.

We address methods for recognizing English spoken by Japanese students as the basis for our Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) system. For automatic phonemic error detection, pronunciation error prediction is executed for a given orthographic text. To improve reliability, speaker adaptation and segment-input pair-wise verification are applied as pre-processing and post-processing, respectively. We also address acoustic modeling as a means for coping with the large acoustic variation seen in nonnative speech. First, English acoustic models are trained using a database of English spoken by Japanese students. Japanese phonemes that are regarded as allophones of English phonemes are then incorporated. We present the results of experimental comparison of these models and confirm the effectiveness of speaker adaptation and pair-wise verification.

We are developing a new CALL system to aid students learning Japanese as a second language. This system is designed to allow students to create their own sentences based on visual prompts, receiving feedback based on their mistakes. The questions are dynamically generated, resulting in a large variety of challenges. The students may choose to receive guidance in order to complete each task, selecting the level of help that best suits their needs. A scoring system is also incorporated, which awards a grade to students based on the errors made and hints used. The trial of the system has been conducted with twenty one students, providing the statistics of actual errors and hint usages. With these data, we have trained the weights of the scoring system by taking into account the impact of each issue on the proficiency of the students. The validity of the estimated score is generally confirmed by predicting the proficiency of the students.

As a preliminary experiment, seven Japanese students' speech was scored from 1 to 5 by linguistic experts. We also counted their error rates for each skill. We found that each intelligibility level is characterized by its distribution of error rates. Thus, we modeled each intelligibility level in accordance with its error rate. Error priority was calculated by comparing students’ error rate distributions with that of the corresponding model.

This paper gives an overview of the English and Japanese CALL systems which have been developed at Kyoto University. Both systems incorporate automatic speech recognition (ASR) technologies to detect pronunciation errors. In order to cope with non-native speech, error prediction mechanisms are prepared based on linguistic knowledge and corpus-based decision tree learning. Several choices of acoustic modeling for non-native speech including erroneous pronunciations are also investigated. The English CALL system is designed for Japanese college students so that they can introduce Japanese cultures to foreign people, thus the acoustic model and error prediction are tuned to the specific native language (L1=Japanese). On the other hand, the Japanese CALL system is for foreign visitors of any L1, and focuses on basic-level sentence production and adopts GUI for easy practice.

This paper is a report on a research project which was conducted on blended learning (BL) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) course at a Japanese university. In this study the BL approach to EFL teaching was defined as a combination of in-class and outside-of-class learning tasks and materials integrated in a single learning environment by a www-based courseware, ATR CALL BRIX (http://www.atr-lt.jp/products/brix/index.html). The use of the courseware outside of class was intended not only to help improve students' TOEIC scores, but also to nurture self-regulated learning (SRL). A student selfevaluation system was implemented in this project. On the basis of the findings of pre-and post-learning questionnaires and interviews with students, it was concluded that the self-evaluation system encouraged students to engage in SRL. Furthermore, pre-and post-TOEIC testing revealed that the students in the project improved their TOEIC scores (p < .01; r = .49).

This paper reports on a research project in a university English as Foreign Language (EFL) program in Japan which explored ways to sustain active participation in e-learning tasks. The tasks were intended to improve students' scores on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), a test used by businesses to make hiring decisions. The research adopted a Flipped Learning (FL) approach to Blended Learning (BL). A web-based courseware, ATR CALL BRIX (http://www.atr-lt.jp/products/brix/index.html), which featured e-learning materials for the TOEIC Test, was used. The students used mobile devices to access the courseware before class in order to prepare for in-class teacher-student analysis of their performance on the learning tasks. The teaching methodology integrated the online and in-class tasks in a single learning environment by means of an e-mentoring system used in conjunction with an in-class student self-evaluation task. The findings of pre-and post-TOEIC testing showed a significant degree of TOEIC score improvement in the experimental group. Post-course evaluations revealed that the combination of e-mentoring and the in-class self-evaluation system had encouraged sustained engagement in outside-of-class learning activities.

Globalization has led to an increased need for Japanese students to improve their communicative abilities in order to compete on the world stage. As a result, the Japanese government has reformed the English education system in Japan to focus on more practical communication. Due to a lack of time and resources available to do this successfully, some institutions in Japan have introduced online components to their courses. This study examines both qualitative and quantitative data regarding students’ engagement in online English education and some of the practical issues that can arise.

Extensive Reading (ER) aims to help learners develop good reading habits. Despite its well-documented benefits in the literature, this approach has yet to be accepted in foreign language education in Japan, where word-forword translation has been the norm for decades. In this context, basic reading strategy instruction can prove a useful tool to help Japanese learners overcome this tendency, and at the same time pave the way for more effective implementations of ER practices. We report on a short course on reading strategy instruction we started in a private high school in Japan, during which 17 senior high school students were introduced to basic reading strategies for the purpose of limiting the need for dictionary use while reading. The test results mostly confirm that Japanese learners can benefit from this type of instruction, which can help them establish better reading habits and, consequently, engage more effectively in Extensive Reading.

Background: HIV-1 Vif interacts with the cellular core-binding factor β (CBFβ) and counteracts the protective roles of certain human APOBEC3 (A3) proteins by targeting them for proteasomal degradation. Previous studies have identified some amino acids important for Vif-CBFβ interactions, and recently a co-crystal structure of a pentameric complex of HIV-1 Vif, CBFβ, Cul5, EloB, and EloC was resolved. However, a comprehensive analysis of Vif-CBFβ interactions that are important for Vif function has not been performed. Results: Here, we carried out double-alanine scanning mutagenesis of the first 60 amino acids of Vif and determined their effects on interaction with CBFβ and their ability to induce A3G degradation as well as rescue HIV-1 replication in the presence of A3G. We found that multiple Vif residues are involved in the extensive N-terminal Vif-CBFβ interaction and that the 5 WQVMIVW 11 region of Vif is the major determinant. A minimum of three alanine substitutions are required to completely abrogate the Vif-CBFβ interaction and Vif's ability to rescue HIV-1 infectivity in the presence of A3G. Mutational analysis of CBFβ revealed that F68 and I55 residues are important and participate in a tripartite hydrophobic interaction with W5 of Vif to maintain a stable and functional Vif-CBFβ complex. We also determined that CBFβ amino acids 73 WQGEQR 78 , which are not resolved in the structure of the pentameric complex, are not involved in interaction with HIV-1 Vif. Conclusions: Our results provide detailed insight into the Vif-CBFβ interactions that are critical for Vif function and may contribute to the rational design of HIV-1 inhibitors that block Vif-mediated degradation of A3 proteins.

In schools and classrooms, spoken utterances and written texts are constantly being evaluated by the teachers, the students and other stake holders, explicitly and/or implicitly, regardless of the subjects being taught. When it comes to language classes, utterances and texts in the target language have to be evaluated, in their accuracy and fluency and with regard to the appropriateness of the choice of words, phrases and expressions based against the background of the context and situations of use being considered. In this article and presentation, we touch upon various criteria of text and utterance evaluation, automated evaluation systems implementing those criteria, and how those evaluation and feedbacks are to be used in language classes to promote interactions among students and motivate them to study autonomously. Keyword style, context, genre, appropriateness, automatic evaluation, mutual evaluation, autonomous learning, motivation,

This study comprised the creation of a hybrid course for introductory Chinese at Kyoto University. The course consists of two classes, one for grammar and one for practice, for which we have developed a textbook and multimedia online teaching materials. Last year, we introduced self-introduction exercises to the curriculum because we thought there was a lack of speaking practice in class. The researchers and course teachers had students record self-introduction videos in Japanese and exchange them with students at Chinese universities. Students also practiced adding subtitles to the videos. Post-semester surveys administered to students show that both Japanese and Chinese students are keen to continue study of each other’s languages and countries. The researchers and the teachers believe that video collaboration boosts students’ motivation not only for this task but also for learning language as a whole. Implications for future language learning in China and Japan are discussed.

This chapter reports on a research project in a university English as Foreign Language program in Japan that explored ways to sustain active participation in e-learning tasks that were intended to improve students’ scores on the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). A flipped learning (FL) approach to a blended learning (BL) teaching methodology was adopted. A web-based courseware, ATR CALL BRIX was used. The students used mobile devices to access the courseware before class in order to prepare for in-class teacher-student analysis of their performance on the learning tasks. The teaching methodology integrated the online and in-class tasks in a single learning environment by means of an e-mentoring system used in conjunction with an in-class student self-evaluation task. A Flipped Learning Approach to University EFL Courses

Tonal errors pose a serious problem to Mandarin Chinese learners, making them stumble in their communication. The purpose of this paper is to investigate beginner level Japanese students’ difficulties in the perception and pronunciation of disyllabic words, particularly to find out which combinations of tones these errors mostly occur in. As a result, the errors made by the 10 subjects were mostly found in tonal patterns 1-3, 2-1, 2-3, 3-2 and 4-3 in both perception and pronunciation. Furthermore, by comparing the ratio of tonal errors of initial to final syllables, we can tell that the initial syllables appear more difficult than the final syllables in perception, but in pronunciation this tendency is not found. Moreover, there seems to be some connection between learners’ perception and pronunciation in their acquisition process.

This study applies social realist theory to the analysis of an ongoing online telecollaboration between Japanese undergraduate students in a classroom setting in Japan and Filipino teachers in an English conversation school in Cebu, the Philippines. The accepted goals of telecollaboration in an international context are the development of intercultural communication and linguistic skills. Analysis showed that, without guidance, the influence of Japanese educational policies on students, including a version of internationalisation known as kokusaika, can result in intracultural – rather than intercultural – communication. It is suggested that a focus on “small” – rather than “large” – culture may help address this issue in Japan, and improve intercultural and linguistic awareness.