Japanese language instruction and the question of ‘‘correctness’’

Abstract

All Japanese language instructors experience the fact that their own language use in the classrooms differs significantly from their regular way of speaking, and attribute the differences to the fact that they use more ‘‘correct’’ Japanese in the classrooms. The concept of ‘‘correctness’’ which is based on Standard Japanese (Hyōjungo), however, often leads the instructor not only to overcorrect the Japanese usage of their students but also to overlook the fact that their own usage includes forms they do not tolerate in their students’ speech. This apparent contradiction gives us an opportunity to reconsider the very concept of ‘‘correctness’’ instead of just assigning high priority to correctness at the expense of ignoring normal speech performance. By presenting a number of examples of Japanese constructions that are treated as mistakes in the classroom but observed relatively frequently among native speakers including myself, the notion of ‘‘correctness’’ is critically examined with regard to its significance for Japanese language instruction. The relationship between Hyōjungo and correctness as well as that of the codified norms and language change are discussed, special attention being given to the effects of the written norm on speech. On the basis of these considerations, this article argues for an awareness change toward a new notion of correctness with latitude. Some concrete didactic strategies are put forth to introduce this notion into the JFL classroom.