On-Reading (Chinese-Style Pronunciation) Predominance Over Kun-Reading (Native Japanese Pronunciation) in Japanese Semantic Dementia

Abstract

Japanese kanji (morphograms) have two ways of reading: on-reading (Chinese-style pronunciation) and kun-reading (native Japanese pronunciation). It is known that some Japanese patients with semantic dementia read kanji with on-reading but not with kun-reading. To characterize further reading impairments of patients with semantic dementia, we analyzed data from a total of 9 patients who underwent reading and writing tests of kanji and kana (Japanese phonetic writing) and on-kun reading tests containing two-character kanji words with on-on reading, kun-kun reading, and specific (so-called Jukujikun or irregular kun) reading. The results showed that on-reading preceding (pronouncing first with on-reading) and kun-reading deletion (inability to recall kun-reading) were observed in nearly all patients. In the on-kun reading test, on-reading (57.6% correct), kun-reading (46.6% correct), and specific-reading (30.0% correct) were more preserved in this decreasing order (phonology-to-semantics gradient), although on-reading and kun-reading did not significantly differ in performance, according to a more rigorous analysis after adjusting for word frequency (and familiarity). Furthermore, on-substitution (changing to on-reading) errors in kun-reading words (27.0%) were more frequent than kun-substitution (changing to kun-reading) errors in on-reading words (4.0%). These results suggest that kun-reading is more predominantly disturbed than on-reading, probably because kun-reading and specific-reading are closely associated with the meaning of words.

A case of isolated dystextia due to subcortical infarction: A novel condition of digital device era

“…During Part B of the Trail Making Test, Japanese edition (TMT-J), he took slightly more time than the average and had one connection error, suggesting slight executive dysfunction. 1] Furthermore, we investigated texting and typing di culties by presenting 100 auditory words 39-40 days after onset [5]. The patient was required to write in Kana, text and type the same material.…”

The interaction of orthography, phonology and semantics in the process of second language learners’ Chinese character production

“…Indeed, Japan uses a set of modified Chinese characters for the "Kanji" script that is supplemented by syllabaries scripts of Hiragana and Katakana. However, their understanding of the motivations of character formation and the connections between orthography, semantics, and phonology had no essential difference compared with learners in the non-Sinosphere (Wydell et al, 1993;Chen, 2001;Wan, 2003;Rose, 2013;Sakurai et al, 2021). They paid more attention to the correspondence between phonology and semantics than the connections between orthography and semantics (Chen, 2001).…”

“…They paid more attention to the correspondence between phonology and semantics than the connections between orthography and semantics (Chen, 2001). The main reason may lie in the fact that Chinese characters are used as syllabic characters in Japan, which is essentially different from the syllable-morpheme characters in written Chinese (Sakurai et al, 2021). Moreover, Japanese learners tend to view Chinese compound words as a whole instead of dividing the words into single Chinese characters; thus, they lack a real understanding of the words that prevents them from correctly writing the characters that make up the whole words.…”