The Acquisition of Japanese Sound‐Symbolic Words by Chinese JFL (Japanese as a Foreign Language) Learners

ABSTRACT This study examined how Chinese learners of Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) acquire sound‐symbolic words, with a particular focus on phonomimes (mimetic sounds) and phenomimes (mimetic states). A multiple‐choice test was developed using 12 sound‐symbolic words that can function as both phonomimes and phenomimes, yielding 24 test items. In addition, a lexical knowledge test was administered. A total of 141 Chinese JFL learners participated. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate competing models of acquisition. While earlier studies on native Japanese children suggest a sequential acquisition from phonomimes to phenomimes, our SEM analysis supported a parallel acquisition model, in which the two types of sound‐symbolic words were learned independently. This finding suggests that learners do not rely on semantic extension from phonomimes to phenomimes but instead treat each as a distinct lexical category.