“ Japanese English ” : A Virtual Variety (original) (raw)
2014
This paper attempts to raise concerns about the increasingly emphasized need to establish a Japanese variety of English in a society where English was, is, and will remain a foreign language to be taught at schools rather than a second language to be acquired in life. Three different proposals for ―Japanese English‖ that were propounded a few decades ago and have mostly been forgotten by now will be introduced and examined in terms of similarities to and differences from the Kachruvian framework of world Englishes, which has provided theoretical basis for existing varieties of English in formerly colonized territories. Through a critical analysis of the past attempts and failures to develop a Japanese variety of English, this paper will also suggest that the view of English as a ―universal‖ language that underlies the idea of developing and legitimatizing varieties of English only guarantees the diversity within the language, potentially undermining linguistic diversity in its broad...
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This paper investigates the role of English in Japan, outlining its current status and use. The paper begins with a critical review of the World Englishes model as it relates to the categorization of Japan within the expanding circle of English use and continues with a brief history of English language contact with the country. It then examines the changing role of English in the Japanese education system and media. This is followed by a discussion of the influence of English on the Japanese language as well as the role which the English language plays within the discourses of nihonjinron and kokusaika. The paper concludes with a call for empirical research to be conducted investigating the spread, acquisition and attitudes towards English in Japan.
Modern and late modern perspectives on language life in Japan
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