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Using English as a Second Language in Japan

Mitsuaki Hayase

December 18, 2005

Mie Branch, Chubu English Language Education Society

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Outline of the talk: 4 parts

I. Getting ready to be a user of English as a second language in Japan

--ESL in Japan-What does it mean?

--Bilingualism

--Code-switching

--English as an additional language (EAL)

--The idea of １ +2

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II. On “Use”

--Importance of “use”

--Condition of learning

--Communication continuum

--Four areas of “use”

--Check it out!...how are we using English?

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III. Demonstration --Information (getting) on the Internet --Multi-listening

IV. What do we need to do now?

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English as a Second Language

---What does it mean?

According to LDLTAL (2002):

(1) Narrow sense…When English is necessary for everyday life

(2) Loose sense…When English is learned after L1 is learned

I. Getting ready to be a user of English as a second language in Japan

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English as a second language?

---What does Hayase mean?

--Loose sense…When English is learned after L1 is learned

--”English as a second working language” ( Japan’s Goals in the 21st Century, 2000)

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Bilingualism and Code-switching

What is a bilingual?

--What is your image of a bilingual?

Bilingual: A person who uses at least two languages with some degree of fluency (LDLTAL)

“About half the world population is bilingual.” (Grosjean 1982, cited in Ichida 2003, p. 22)

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Hayase would say, “We are all bilinguals in one way or another.”

A junior high school student with

1, 000 words……a full-fledged bilingual

Code-switching ( 言語切り替え）

English as an additional language (EAL)

The idea of “1 + 2”

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Cook (2001) says:

“Teachers should be clear in their minds that they are usually teaching people how to use two languages, not how to use one in isolation.…Rather, the aim is people who can stand between two viewpoints and between two cultures, a multi-competent speaker who can do more than any monolingual.” (p.179)

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“Becoming bilingual is a way of life.” （ Brown 1994 , p. 1)

Brown says:

“Your whole person is affected as you struggle to reach beyond the confines of your first language and into a new language, a new culture, a new way of thinking, feeling, and acting.”

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II. On “Use”

Importance of “use”

(1)Skill-getting vs skill-using

(Rivers, 1981: 1st edition 1968)(2) Usage vs use (Widdowson. 1978)

Skill-getting, usage…knowledge of the language

Skill-using, use…actual use of the language

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Conditions for language learning

Harmer (2001, p. 70) says:

“…all that anybody needs to learn a new language are those three elements: exposure, motivation, and opportunities for use.”

Wills (1996, p. 11) says:

Essential: exposure, use, motivationDesirable: Instruction

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Hayase’s scheme in Japan:

EXPOSURE INSTRUCTION PRACTICE USE

MOTIVATION

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Communication Continuum (Based on Harmer, 2001)

non-communicative end communicative end

communication continuum

● grammar/vocabulary practice

● pattern practice

● reading aloud ( 音読）

●Dialogue practice

.

.

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● communicative activities with information gap but with specific practice point

(ex) How many~?

Interview game about

families

● authentic tasks using all and any language at your disposal to achieve a communicative purpose

(ex) What’s in the card/Ten differences in a picture

use in real life

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Four Areas of Use

Communication

Information (getting)

Entertainment

Intellectualization

*These four areas are not mutually exclusive.

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1st Area of Use: Communication

--Writing emails and letters

--Talking with ALTs and native speaker colleagues

--Talking with foreign students

--Keeping a diary: intra-personal communication

--Posting messages on BBSs

--Joining in on-line chatting

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2nd Area of Use: Information (getting)

--Reading newspapers, magazines, books, pamphlets in paper as well as on the Internet

--Listening to news on the radio and on the Internet

--Watching news, documentaries, travelogues on TV and on the Internet

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3rd Area of Use: Entertainment

--Watching movies on TV, in theaters, and on the Internet

--Reading jokes in books and on the Internet

--Reading literature in books and on the Internet

--Singing songs

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4th Area of Use: Intellectualization

--Preparing English classes

--Conducting classes in English

--Co-teaching classes with ALTs

--Doing research for writing papers

--Using English to improve ourselves

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Let’s Us Check Our Use of English!

Please use the handout on

Using English as Second Language in Japan

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Information (getting) on the Internet

BBC (U. K.)

CBS NEWS 　 (USA)

VOA (USA)

THE WHITE HOUSE President’s Weekly Radio Address to the Nation

III. Demonstration

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Multi-listening—A Case Study Bomb Blasts in Egypt on Oct 7, 2004!

Time line

Egypt Japan

10:00 p.m., Oct 7 5:00 a.m. Oct 8

7:00 a.m., no news on NHK

8:00 a.m., BBC

10:00 a.m., NHK

1st Video 12:00 a.m., CNN (NHK)

2nd Video 17:25 a.m., ABC (NHK)

3rd Video 9:00 a.m., Oct 9, BBC

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The New York Times

October 7, 2004

BBC News in Spanish

October 8, 2004

BBC News

October 8, 2004

Reading newspapers while listening…..

Using 　“ Roboword”

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三重大　　教育学部　　英語科　　早瀬 HP

http://www.cc.mie-u.ac.jp/~lq20102/

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IV. What do we need to do now?

1. Action Plan to Cultivate “Japanese with English Abilities” 　 ( 「英語が使える日本人」の育成のための行動計画」 　 March 31, 2003

--The entire public should be able to conduct daily conversation and exchange information in English based on basic and practical communication abilities acquired at different levels of English education in junior high schools, senior high schools and universities

--University graduates should be able to use English in their work(Summary by Hayase)

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3. Finding situations where English can be used in our lives

Situations for: primary school children Junior high school students Senior high school students College students Adults

4. Enrich our Japanese

2. Interest to use English outside class

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References

Books and papersBrown, H. D. (1994). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, 3rd Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.Cook, V. (2001). Second language learning and language teaching. London: Arnold.Crystal, D. (2003). English as a Global Language, 2nd ed. Cambridge: CUPGrosjean, F. (1982). Life with Two Languages: An Introduction to Biligualism. 　 Harvard University Press.Harmar, J. (2001). The Practice of English Language Teaching, 3rd ed. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.Rivers, W. M. (1981). Teaching Foreign-Language Skills, 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Widdowson, H. G. (1978). Teaching Language as Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Willis. J. (1996). A Framework for Task-Based Learning. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

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池谷裕二 . 2001. 『記憶力を強くする』講談社 .市田泰弘 . 2003. 「ろう者のバイリングアリズム」『言語』 Vol. 32, No. 8, pp. 22-33.白井恭弘 . 2004. 『外国語学習に成功する人、しない人』岩波書店．長島安治 . 2000. 「日本の弁護士と英語」、『英語展望』 No. 107, pp. 20-21.千野栄一 1986. 　『外国語上達』 岩波書店 .

船橋洋一 .2000. 『あえて英語公用語論』 文藝春秋社 Websites:Developing a strategic plan to cultivate "Japanese With English Abilities" (2002)(http://www.mext.go.jp/english/news/2002/07/020901.htm)Japan's Goals in the 21st Century (2000)(http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/21century/report/pdfs/index.html)Regarding the Establishment of an Action Plan to Cultivate “Japanese with English Abilities” (2003)(http://www.mext.go.jp/english/topics/03072801.htm)Dictionary:LDLTAL Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2002) （ Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 3rd ed. Pearson Education Limited.