Event
Home(1) English Use Outside of the Classroom: L2 Learners or ELF Users? (2) EIL Language in the Era of Globalization in Japan: How do we manage the imbalance of power of language?
Sunday, July 30th, 2017, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Speaker: (1) Miki Shibata; (2) Fuyuko Takita (Hiroshima University)
Presentation 1:
English Use Outside of the Classroom: L2 Learners or ELF Users?
English is used as a lingua franca (ELF) among those with different languages and cultural backgrounds in this era of globalization. This fact has influenced the area of English teaching, where native speaker (NS) norms are still persistently reflected in classroom instructions, teaching/learning materials, and assessment of second-language (L2) proficiency.
In this presentation, the notion of Standard English and native varieties of English will be argued with respect to translanguaging (Otheguy, García, & Wallis, 2015). In particular, the adequacy of the terms will be questioned, by problematizing the essentialism view of 'language' based on socially and politically defined boundaries.
As pointed out in such as Jenkins (2000; 2007) and Seidlhofer (2011), ELF in intercultural communication is diverse, and a dichotomy of natives vs. nonnatives does not account for dynamic and hybrid use of English in reality. The argument leads us to reconsideration of L2 learner identity, which is complex and multi-layered, including the foreign language learner, nonnative speaker, and ELF user (Shibata, 2013).
Finally, the fundamental pedagogical issues will be addressed relevant to language attitude and interaction as well as paying attention to practical aspects of language use such as intelligibility, focusing on the tertiary context in Japan.
Presentation 2:
EIL Language in the Era of Globalization in Japan: How do we manage the imbalance of power of language?
The topic of this presentation is to examine the role played by English language in the era of globalization in Japan. The presenter will discuss this issue from linguistic, social and cultural perspectives and explain how power of language is manifested through the use of English by communicators from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
This presentation aims to explore the notion of power relations and show how interactional dominance actually manifests in intercultural interaction among communicators from different backgrounds in Japan.
Finally, the presenter will present some intercultural competence and communication strategies in order to overcome the imbalance of power of language that could arise from the use of English as an International language in Japan.
Organization: Hiroshima Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Hiroshima JALT)
Cost: JALT Members: free
Non-members: 1,000 yen (500 yen for students)
Venue: International Conference Center Hiroshima (map)
Location: Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
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