Let's Go Bilingual!

The last update was on January 31, 2012

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About Using English in Japanese Society (written by Daisan)↓

The other day, I went to a convenience store in my neighborhood when I came across two
foreigners in front of the store chatting with each other over drinks. As I overheard
their conversation, they spoke apparently in Japanese, and rather fluently to boot.
Although they had a foreign accent, probably a Southeast Asian accent or such, they could
hold their own with Japanese displaying their fluency as far as what they were talking about
goes.

As I asked them if they were from a different country with each other, contrary to my
expectations, their countries were the same; they shared the same mother tongue. Then I
spontaneously asked them another question: "Why do you speak Japanese with your friend
instead of your mother language ?" They replied, "We now live in Japan and it is natural
to speak Japanese, and besides, it develops our Japanese skills."

I started to wonder whether we could talk with other Japanese in English. I doubted if we
could speak English like them with other Japanese when we'd be in a country where English is
an official language or such. And it is not unusual for us to enjoy conversation with
non-Japanese lately, if any in a small group with other Japanese included speaking in English
after a fashion.

But when it comes to speaking to another Japanese with non-Japanese still
being with you, we tend to speak in Japanese without paying any attention to a puzzled
foreigner. In other word, Japanese are likely to depend on our own language even when any
foreigners are in your group. Let alone an exclusive circle of Japanese friends.

Speaking of blended group, say, of people with different nationality, we often find out about
gaijin TV personalities on the television speaking Nihongo casually with other non-Japanese.
On the other hand, Japanese are not so good at getting out of oneself and into a new self
when speaking a new language.

In other word, we are very poor actors/actresses when it comes to speaking a foreign language
and this goes some way toward explaining why Japanese are not so much of a hand at speaking
English; you are supposed to enter a new personality when you switch to a new language.

The problem is that you got to deal with jealousy, peer pressure and sibling rivalry if you'd
once use English, and you can be easily driven by a feeling of guilt as if you did something
wrong. And you can easily get kicked out of your peer group if you'd "talk" in English. Yes,
you might be ostracized by your peers. That's happening right now in Japanese society if
you'd want to use English. What a pity!

Nevertheless, as far as I'm concerned, I don't give a damn about it at all. That's my own
style! Otherwise your English doesn't improve and gets rusty before you can turn around.

Taking account of widespread use of English all over the world, English is no longer the
native speaker's language but everyone's common language, i.e. English is de facto the common
language of much of not only the cyberspace but real life today; it serves as the lingua
franca in many countries.

In short, English is an international common language and you can't make do without it once
you make your way into the international arena. So I see no reason why those who may have
once experienced living overseas tend to shy away from using English whereas I am one of "stay
in Japan crowd" to keep using English. Ahaha...

written by Daisan

Kurahashi-san's Blog

Daisan's Web Page

NOTE

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