Hui Ling Wang

It has been the author s personal experience, for as long as she has been teaching ESL in Japan, that Japan, with its large English education industry, has seldom been seen as being multilingual or bilingual. In this paper, a literature review is first done to summarize research showing that Japanese society can be considered multilingual. It also shows that many Japanese students do not consider themselves as bilinguals despite the existence of bilingualism/multilingualism around them. Next, a six-year study is presented. It found that most of the Japanese ESL students surveyed did not consider themselves to be bilinguals but believed that being bilinguals was important to them. Reasons why students think being bilingual were important or not important to them are also discussed. Finally, the paper concludes that there is a gap between not believing oneself to be bilingual and wanting to become bilingual. This paper argues that students need to understand concepts of bilingualism/multilingualism more and believe in their bilingualism with more confidence. It recommends that ESL instructors should see their students as emergent bilinguals and allow students to become more confident in their English learning pursuits while using both their L1 and L2 as invaluable tools in their linguistic acquisition.

This paper serves as an addition to a review written by the author on online instruction for a semester of university lessons done in 2020 using results of an online feedback survey conducted for students of these lessons (Wang, 2022). It records a reflective practice of the author as an instructor of the online live interactive lessons conducted. The paper reviewed concepts of reflective practice and its importance in the professional growth of the educator. This has relevance in improving effects of education that would benefit both the students and the educator. The reflective practice record is divided into positive outcomes, negative outcomes, personal development, observations on the impact to personal instructional methods or educational values of the author, and issues of concern and implications for further research. The paper concludes that online live interactive lessons could be conducted for their positive contributions to education while their negative qualities are being made aware of. Personal development of the educator could be a source of motivation to challenge future online instructional activities. Observational details act as words of caution and offer fodder for discussion. Finally, issues of concern are explained narratively so that there might be opportunities provided to explore them in further studies.

English has become the language of choice for international communication in the world today, especially among people who do not share a common native language. According to Jenkins (2009), ‘English remains the world’s fi rst international language into the twenty-fi rst century’ (p.39), and ‘it is now spoken in almost every country of the world, with its majority speakers being those for whom it is not a fi rst language’ (p.2). However, the extent of English used and the role of English diff ers in every region and country, even in countries where English is a native language, and English, as a language, shapes the politics and culture of every country in its own way. In this paper, I will do an in― depth study on the spread of English in Singapore, my country of birth, which, according to Kachru (1992 : 356), belongs to the Outer Circle of the three concentric circles of the ‘sociolinguistic profi le of English’. In attempting to discuss the complex nature of English in Singapore,...

This paper aims to give a report on the first-ever online instruction conducted by the author for a full university semester in 2020 for eight courses in two universities, using an online survey conducted after the semester was over. There is first a background explanation on the pandemic situation that resulted in the transition from brick-to-mortar lessons to online lessons. Next, a literature review attempts to capture some definitions of trending terms in studies on online teaching, to provide background on the different combinations of online teaching methodology available. The paper finally presents data analysis taken from a feedback survey by students who attended the online lessons. It was shown that students did not prefer the new educational trend in the new normal and the majority expressed a desire for things to go back to the normal brick-and-mortar classroom. If there was no choice but to attend lessons online, there was a slight preference for on-demand lessons over live lessons. However, it would be concluded that a mixture of both types of lessons is necessary and the strive for balance would inevitably be the ultimate challenge, taking into consideration the hints raised in the survey conducted in this paper as suggestions for improvements for future online teaching.

This paper gives an analysis of a speech situation, a small section of an observed English lesson in a classroom in Japan, using Hymes’ (1962) SPEAKING grid. It is preceded with a review of some literature on the concepts of the ethnography of speaking (Cameron 2001). Using the concept of the ethnography of speaking, the paper looks at the Japanese classroom culture in an English class, and aims to analyze the background of the English-teaching cultural practices and communication between the local and foreign teachers in the speech situation, because this is also the background against which students study English. The analysis attempts to give a peek into how ESL is taught in Japan. The results of this analysis showed that ESL is being taught in the observed lesson by putting down the local teacher’s English abilities and looking up to the foreign teacher, and also at the same time seeing the foreign teacher as an outsider to the English class. Finally, this paper recommends a relook at the cultural significance of the roles of the local and foreign teachers in English classes and how it may affect the way Japanese people learn and use English.

The motivation behind this paper is a curiosity toward the strict criteria the Japanese people have regarding bilinguals. Although the Japanese people have varying degrees of competencies in both the Japanese and English language (second language (L2)), not many appear to consider themselves bilingual. It is the author’s opinion that denying themselves the notion that they are bilingual or can become bilingual prevents them from utilizing both languages to their maximum effectiveness, and thus is a hindrance to their L2 learning. Using this background, this paper first summarizes the varying range of definitions of bilingualism and lists the different dimensions that should be considered when discussing the concept of bilingualism. Next, this paper identifies the different types of bilinguals present in modern Japanese society followed by a discussion of further implications and a suggestion of five specific areas for further research. This paper concludes with the opinion that language learners within the Japanese society need to be L2 learners who believe that they already are bilinguals, or will someday become bilingual, so that they will constantly be reminded to use both languages to their advantage and become more confident in their L2 learning journey.

This paper is about the work of the author as the former Learning Advisor at the Reading Marathon Room (RMR) run by the International Cultural Studies Department, Morioka Junior College, Iwate Prefectural University. The paper traces new developments and implementations made to the RMR, and discovered that writing advice given in the RMR became a more useful and valued service to the students than the books and other learning materials provided in the RMR. This is proved in the presentation and discussion of the action research done in this paper. Before the description of the research, there is a literature review on the concept of autonomy in language learning and the practical applications to this concept in the form of the rise of self-access centres. It is illustrated how the RMR is a self-access centre more than just a library as it was first modestly set out to be. Finally, after the research presentation, there are suggestions for further research and improvements of the RMR, and a confirmation of the opinion that self-access centres are valuable in institutions of all levels.

This report has a brief history on the origins of the Reading Marathon Room, a self-access English learning centre in Morioka Junior College under Iwate Prefectural University. The report describes the services of the Room and the duties of the Reading Marathon Room Learning Advisor. This is followed by detailed questionnaire survey data on the RMR from April to December 2014 done on students at the Department of International Cultural Studies in Morioka Junior College whom the Room is meant for. There are five suggestions derived for the improvement of the Room based on responses to the questionnaire. The conclusion is that the yearly questionnaire exercise is useful and improvement plans to the Room will be in action going forward.

This paper is about the usage of English in Singapore, a topic not familiar to those who do not know much about language use in Singapore. English is the main and first language in Singapore, and these terms will be more fully discussed in this paper. More than just the language used in Singapore, the first part of this paper explores the role English has in developing Singapore as a nation, and how it shapes the linguistic identity of the country. There will be a description of the brief history of the country, the development of English into a first language, and further on, how English evolved into Singapore English, a localized variety in its own right. The second part of this paper will discuss various terms and their differences, such as Singapore English and Singlish, and delve further into the development of the localized English variety in Singapore, arguments for and against it and its impact on society and the linguistic environment of Singapore.

This presentation summarizes a six-year study on whether Japanese ESL learners think being bilingual is important to them and whether they perceive themselves as bilingual. Although Japan is seldom seen as being multilingual or bilingual, a literature review shows otherwise. The study found that most of the Japanese ESL students surveyed did not consider themselves to be bilinguals but believed that it was important. This gap is a crucial problem in ESL education and instruction. It is argued that understanding the concepts of bilingualism/multilingualism can benefit students, and ESL instructors should see their students as emergent bilinguals to increase their confidence in learning English.

This presentation introduces a study investigating the concept of Singaporeans as native speakers of English, through 15 individual interviews with both Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans. The aim is to survey the laypersons’ understanding of the term NS and their thoughts on Singaporeans as NSs, and their ideologies on language. Results showed that some Singaporean participants are not confident in labelling themselves as NSs, and most non-Singaporean participants would accept Singaporeans as NSs. The study concludes that Singaporeans first have to convince themselves that they are NSs before confidently informing others of that.

In this study, I researched on the concept of the native speaker and its application to Singaporeans. In doing so, I am also examining language ideologies as what people think about languages ultimately leads to their personal definition of the term native speaker. I first did a literature review on the concept of the native speaker, language ideology and identity, English in Singapore, the Singaporean identity towards English and the idea of Singaporeans as native speakers. I followed up with research by interviews to analyse both Singaporeans’ and non-Singaporeans’ views on the same topics. Among the non-Singaporeans are people from Inner Circle countries as well as Expanding Circle countries, since people from Inner Circle countries are widely accepted to be the so-called native speakers and those from Expanding Circle countries are widely recognised as non-native speakers. I conclude with findings that suggest that non-Singaporeans who would not agree that Singaporeans can be considered native speakers usually do so because of a lack of understanding of the language situation in Singapore, and that Singaporeans who see it as a part of their identity as being English native speakers first have to convince themselves that they are so before confidently informing others that.