Abstract Mixed-ethnic children in Japan do not usually acquire the language of their non-Japanese parent. This study looks at their lost opportunity to acquire their minority parent’s language through a retrospective investigation of their language experiences from childhood to young adulthood. Transcripts of interviews with ten mixed-ethnic children (ages 18 to 23) were analyzed based on the constructive grounded theory approach (Charmaz 2014 Constructing grounded theory, 2nd edn. London: Sage). Analysis of codes which emerged from the interviews revealed that family relations, parents’ reluctance to speak the minority language and the prioritization of English were some of the factors perceived by the mixed-ethnic children to have contributed to the non-transmission of the minority language. Many of the children described their lost opportunity to acquire the minority language as regretful. Questions posed by Japanese people about their identity and language reminded some participants of their mixed-ethnicity and inability to speak the minority language. These findings suggest that the non-transmission of the minority language has long-term implications on the social and emotional well-being of mixed-ethnic children in Japan.

中文翻译：

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语言后悔：混合种族的儿童在日本失去了获得少数民族语言的机会

摘要日本的混血儿通常不会获得其非日语父母的语言。这项研究通过回顾性调查他们从童年到成年的语言经历，着眼于他们失去获得少数父母语言的机会。基于建设性扎根理论方法（Charmaz 2014《构建扎根理论》，第二版，伦敦：Sage），对十个混血儿（18至23岁）的访谈记录进行了分析。对访谈中出现的代码进行分析后发现，家庭关系，父母不愿讲少数民族语言和英语优先是混合种族儿童认为导致不传播少数民族语言的一些因素。 。许多孩子对他们失去掌握少数民族语言的机会感到遗憾。日本人提出的有关其身份和语言的问题使一些参与者想起了他们的混合种族和无力说少数民族语言。这些发现表明，不传播少数民族语言对日本混合种族儿童的社会和情感福祉具有长期影响。