Abstract
Despite the growing interest surrounding the use and role of the first language in the second language classroom, the vast majority of research in the field has been conducted in classrooms where English is taught as a second language in English-speaking countries. Very little research has investigated the role of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in other language learning environments, such as those in which Japanese is learnt as a second language (JSL) in Japan. This paper investigates the purposes for which ELF is employed, and the perspectives of learners from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds on the use of ELF, in the JSL classroom. The findings show that English is employed to varying degrees in relation to proficiency level, and that learners themselves are generally welcoming of this use. The author suggests that learners seek security and comfort in what they already know, with ELF easing the gap between their L1 and their developing Japanese skills.
要約
第二言語の学習の際に第一言語を使用することへの関心が増えつつあるにも関わらず、主な研究は、英語圏の国で英語が第二言語として教えられているような環境で行われてきた。一方、例えば日本で日本語を第二言語として学ぶような、英語以外の言語の学習環境での共通語としての英語 (ELF) の役割はあまり調査されていない。本論文では、第二言語としての日本語の授業において、ELF が使用される理由と、多言語や多文化の生い立ちを持っている学習者の ELF に対する意見を調査した。その結果から、習得度により英語がさまざまな程度で使用され、学習者は概ね英語の使用に対して肯定的であることが分かった。筆者は、学習者がすでに知っていることに安心感を求め、ELF は第一言語と成長途中の日本語能力との溝を埋めることができると提案する。
About the author
Blake Turnbull is a part-time instructor at Ritsumeikan University, and a PhD student in the Department of Foreign Language Acquisition and Education at Kyoto University, Japan. He completed his MA degree in Applied Linguistics at the University of Otago, New Zealand. His research interests include second/foreign language teaching, ESL and EFL education, bilingual education, and translanguaging.
Appendix: questionnaire survey
Gender: male ( ) female ( )
Age:<20 ( ) 20–25 ( ) 26–30 ( ) 31–35 ( ) 36+ ( )
Where do you come from? _____________________________________________
What is your native language? _________________________________________
What is your current level of English?
( ) Beginner
( ) Lower intermediate
( ) Intermediate
( ) Upper intermediate
( ) Advanced
( ) Native speaker
For how long have you studied English? ________________________________
What is your current level of Japanese?
( ) Beginner
( ) Lower intermediate
( ) Intermediate
( ) Upper intermediate
( ) Advanced
For how long have you studied Japanese? ______________________________
How often does your Japanese teacher use English in the classroom?
( ) Always (91%–100%)
( ) Frequently (76%–90%)
( ) Often (51%–75%)
( ) Sometimes (36%–50%)
( ) Occasionally (16%–36%)
( ) Rarely (1%–15%)
( ) Never (0%)
How do you feel about this level of English in your classroom?
( ) It is far too much
( ) It is a little bit too much
( ) It is just right
( ) It is not really enough
( ) It is definitely not enough
( ) I don’t care
Please explain: _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
If your teacher does speak to you in English, when do they do this?
( ) To explain grammar to the whole class.
( ) To explain/translate vocabulary to the whole class.
( ) To explain culture to the whole class.
( ) When repeating something in English after explaining it first in Japanese.
( ) To explain something to an individual because they don’t understand.
( ) For classroom management (e.g. manage student behaviour).
( ) For task management (e.g. to check on students’ progress in a task).
( ) To give instructions (e.g. about a task, homework, tests, etc.).
( ) To check for comprehension.
( ) To chat during class.
( ) To chat before or after class.
( ) Other (specify)
Please explain: _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Do you think English is helpful to learn Japanese?
( ) Yes, definitely
( ) Yes, sometimes
( ) No, not really
( ) No, definitely not
( ) I don’t care
Please explain: _________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
If you do think English is necessary, why do you think this?
( ) It helps me to understand new grammar items better.
( ) It helps me to understand new vocabulary items better.
( ) It helps me to understand difficult concepts better.
( ) It helps me to feel at ease, comfortable and less stressed.
( ) It helps me to feel less lost during the lesson.
( ) It helps me to express feelings/ideas that I cannot express in Japanese.
( ) It helps me to find differences/similarities between English and Japanese.
( ) Other (specify)
Please explain: _________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
When teaching new items, would you rather the teacher used
( ) Only Japanese
( ) Mainly Japanese with occasional English
( ) Japanese first, and then English if I don’t understand
( ) An equal balance of English and Japanese
( ) Mainly English with occasional Japanese
( ) Only English
( ) I don’t care
Please explain: _________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Overall, what are your thoughts about using English in the Japanese classroom?
( ) It is not helpful at all
( ) It is not really helpful
( ) It is sometimes helpful
( ) It is a little bit helpful
( ) It is very helpful
( ) I don’t care
Please explain: _________________________________________________________
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