The native speaker fallacy in a U.S. university Japanese and Chinese program

Abstract

AbstractInformed by concepts of native speakers, racial nativism, and language socialization theory, this study documented the existence of the native speaker fallacy (Phillipson, 1992, Linguistic imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press) in a university‐level Japanese and Chinese program in the United States. Specifically, the researcher collected survey responses from language teachers and students, conducted interviews, and observed the teacher training process, one‐on‐one teaching sessions, and classroom teaching over the course of 2 academic years. A regression analysis showed how the perception of native and non‐native speakers was significantly influenced by students’ language level, native language, and race, and by the language program itself. The cases of a dialectal speaker and biracial Japanese teachers illustrated the effects of the bifurcated categorizations on teachers who do not fit in the dichotomy. Implications derived from this study call for critical analysis of the valorization of standard dialect and investigation into ways that will make more room for diversity in the language classroom. This study also underscores the importance of debriefing meetings that allow language professionals and students to reflect their teaching and learning experiences in relation to their identities and to examine unquestioned assumptions about language and racial identities and language standardization in increasingly globalized and diverse communities.