Bilingual behaviour, attitudes, identity and vitality: some data from Japanese speakers in London, UK

Abstract

Although the Japanese community in London is relatively small, its composition is stable and reflects several aspects of Japan's relationship with the international community. Yet there appears to have been no systematic research exploring patterns of bilingual behaviour in relation to social psychological processes amongst Japanese nationals in London. The 95 participants in this study were all Japanese nationals, who came from three major groups in this community, namely company employees, students and pupils at a Japanese school. They completed a quantitative questionnaire about language use, attitudes to use, proficiency, identity, contact and perceived vitalities in both London and Japan. Although the findings confirmed the dominance of Japanese in proficiency and identity, they also suggested some systematic variance in use and attitudes according to context. Furthermore, while multivariate analyses supported the predictive value of English proficiency for the use of each language, the prediction of English use and attitudes was significantly enhanced by incorporating three factors related to identities and vitalities. Finally, Japanese use and attitudes were also associated with social contact. These findings are discussed with reference to ethnolinguistic identity theory, intergroup and intragroup factors, and the international status of English.