"So What Is the Appeal?" The Phenomenon of Japanese as a Foreign Language in Hong Kong

Autor/inn/en	Humphreys, Gillian; Miyazoe-Wong, Yuko
Titel	"So What Is the Appeal?" The Phenomenon of Japanese as a Foreign Language in Hong Kong
Quelle	In: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 28 (2007) 6, S.468-483 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0143-4632
Schlagwörter	Learning Motivation; Foreign Countries; Mandarin Chinese; Political Issues; Japanese; Second Language Learning; Second Language Programs; Trend Analysis; Questionnaires; College Students; Sino Tibetan Languages; English (Second Language); Language Attitudes; Interviews; Popular Culture; Geographic Location; Proximity; Student Attitudes; China; Hong Kong + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Motivation for studies; Lernmotivation; Ausland; Politischer Faktor; Japaner; Japanisch; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Trendanalyse; Fragebogen; Collegestudent; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Sprachverhalten; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Popkultur; Lebensnähe; Schülerverhalten; Hongkong
Abstract	In spite of long-standing political tensions between Japan and the People's Republic of China, Japanese remains a highly popular language to learn in Hong Kong. This is evidenced by the growth in number of Japanese-related courses and programmes offered at schools and universities in the Special Administrative Region. Although Japan is a dominant economic force in the region, the trend is not entirely explained by demand for Japanese in the workplace. A questionnaire survey of samples of students at three Hong Kong tertiary institutions explored respondents' motivation to learn both compulsory languages (English and Putonghua) and elective ones (Japanese, French and German). Results confirmed the popularity of Japanese as a language of choice, and found the motivation to learn it both affective and pragmatic, but more affective. Follow-up interviews identified three major issues involved in students' choice of Japanese: the appeal of Japanese popular culture; the perceived usefulness (or otherwise) of the language; and geographical proximity. A sense of shared traditions and high culture between China and Japan did not appear to be an issue for these respondents. Current political issues between China and Japan also seemed to be irrelevant. (Contains 2 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10