Abstract
Previous studies have identified Japanese negative attitudes towards their English and ambivalent attitudes towards the language (e.g. Jenkins 2007, English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Matsuda 2003, The ownership of English in Japanese secondary schools. World Englishes 22(4). 483–496; McKenzie 2010, The social psychology of English as a global language: Attitudes, awareness and identity in the Japanese context. Dordrecht: Springer). The current research targets Japanese university students and adds several insights into the nature of these attitudes through the analysis of 95 open-ended questionnaires and 18 conversational interviews. First of all, the participants’ negative language attitudes embraced notable contradictions. Also, their ambivalence was scarcely evident, and more to the point, a matter of degree. Moreover, it is the doxic experience (Bourdieu 1977, Outline of a theory of practice. Trans. Richard Nice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) within Japanese society that was likely to hinder grounding those attitudes on their own critical thinking and valuing their English communication ability with non-Japanese. And most importantly, it was easy for them to appreciate English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) perspectives, so long as they would like to use English for international communication. More precisely, while they were unlikely to have any previous attitudes towards the unfamiliar representation of their English (i.e. from ELF perspectives), they were highly likely to develop positive attitudes towards it. This article calls for more future research and effort devoted to raising ELF awareness in Japanese and other similar contexts.
摘要
先行研究では、日本人の英語に対する日本人の否定的言語態度、及び英語に対するアンビバレンスが明らかにされている (e.g. ジェンキンズ 2007; 松田 2003; マッケンジー 2010)。本研究は日本人大学生を対象とし、95 名の記述式アンケートと 18 名との会話形式インタビューの分析を通じて、幾つかの点でこうした言語態度の性質への理解を深めた。まず第一に、参加者の否定的言語態度は著しい矛盾を孕んでいた。また、彼らのアンビバレンスが明白になることは稀であり、もっと的確にはアンビバレンスが程度の問題であった。さらに、日本社会に内在するドクサ的経験 (ブルデュー 1977) こそ、そうした言語態度を自らの批判的思考に基づかせたり、日本人以外との彼らの英語コミュニケーション能力を評価したりするのを妨げているようであった。そして最も重要なことに、英語を国際コミュニケーションに役立てたいと思っている限り、彼らは容易に国際語としての英語 (ELF) という観点を高く評価した。もっと正確には、自分達の英語の未知なる表象 (i.e. ELFという観点から) に対してあらかじめ言語態度を持っていた可能性は薄い一方、それに対して肯定的態度を発展させていく可能性が非常に高かった。この論文は、日本や他の同様な背景において、ELF 認識の高揚を対象としたさらなる今後の研究と努力を呼びかける。
About the author
Tomokazu Ishikawa is a part-time Lecturer of English and Applied Linguistics at Waseda University and Shirayuri University. He has recently defended his doctoral thesis (2016) at the University of Southampton, where he is a postdoctoral member of the Centre for Global Englishes. Prior to that, he was a Senior English Teacher at Japanese institutions for university entrance exam preparation.
Appendix
A Questionnaire questions
あなたの見解では、日本人の英語には、どのような長所・短所があると思いますか。(必ずしも長所・短所の両方をお答えいただく必要はございません。)
In your view, what is positive and/or negative about Japanese people’s English?
「長所」・「短所」とお答えいただいたのは、どのような経験からでしょうか。
What experiences make you say “positive” and/or “negative”?
質問１・２に関して、あなた自身の英語についてはどう思いますか。
What about your own English in relation to questions 1 and 2?
あなたは、日本人の英語を、どのような言葉で言い表しますか。(例: 「美しい」)
What word(s) would you use to describe Japanese people’s English? (for example, “beautiful”)
あなたは、あなた自身の英語を、どのような言葉で言い表しますか。(例: 「美しい」)
What word(s) would you use to describe your own English? (for example, “beautiful”)
アメリカ人の英語について、どう思いますか。
What do you think about American people’s English?
英国人の英語について、どう思いますか。
What do you think about British people’s English?
上記以外の人々が用いる英語に関して、自由にコメントしてください。
Please comment freely on English used by people not mentioned above.
もし、こちらから連絡してもさしつかえなければ、以下に、あなたの電子メールアドレスをご記入いただけますでしょうか。
If you are happy for me to contact you, could you please put your e-mail address below?
電子メール (任意) /E-mail (Optional):
このアンケートの主題 (日本人自身の英語をどのように捉えるか)、もしくはアンケートそのものに関して、何かコメントはございますか。
Would you like to make any other comments on the theme (How Japanese people orient to their own English) or the questionnaire itself?
B Transcription conventions (adapted from VOICE Project 2007)
- [
overlapping or interrupted speech
- =
latched utterance
- xxx.
the end of a perceivable block of utterance
- xxx。
significant pause
- @
laughter and a laughter-like sound, approximating the syllable number (e.g. ha ha ha=@@@)
- <quiet>xxx</quiet>etc.
spoken with specified features
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