Loanword compound truncation in Japanese: A study on Japanese learners’ understanding of loanword abbreviations

Abstract: In this study, the comprehension of English loanword truncations in Japanese will be investigated. Both Japanese native speakers and learners of Japanese will display their ability to truncate different kinds of gairaigo compound loanwords. I wanted to find out how native Japanese speakers and learners of the Japanese language compared in the truncating process. I found out that Japanese natives and experienced learners of Japanese performed similarly when they made regular double truncations and truncations stemming from words with the moraic N. Nonetheless, when the higher ranked constraints were involved in truncations, both Japanese natives and learners of Japanese faced difficulties. Japanese native speakers only had a small advantage. To my surprise, this made me learn that Japanese native speakers are only able to instinctively make truncations that follow applied rules under the right circumstances, that is, when long vowels, English diphthongs and geminates are not a part of the input words in the truncation, with only very few exceptions. Meanwhile, Japanese native speakers were the only participants who could successfully notice and provide their own truncated answers to trick questions.