English language in globalising Japan - 'Attitude transfer' from Japanese to English language

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to understand the role of language ideology in Japan in the rivalry between Japanese language and English language. Japan versus the West has been a mainstream theme in twenty-century literature about Japan, and beliefs bounding national identity to the language remain widespread. From the entry of English language in Japan, and due to the fact that English is said to be the global language, many scholars investigated the role it assumed in the country. The present work is articulated as follows. Chapter one includes the theoretical premises about language planning, language ideology and Japanese context, while chapter two explores the globalization of English language. In Chapter three, reflecting on the connection between beliefs about one’s own language and those about other languages, the value of native-speakersism is traced back to the idea that the monolithic conceptualization of languages, affecting either Japanese and English language, sustains the vested interests hided in a monolingual social structure. Finally, in chapter four, the attainability of this idea will be verified through reasoning about the ideas behind English language teaching for 2020 Tokyo Olympics, to conclude with some answer about what needs to be improved and what remains to be studied.