The teaching of English as an International Language in Japan

Abstract

This paper explores the ambivalent nature of Japanese attitudes toward English vis-à-vis the Japanese language, followed by a discussion of Japanese efforts in incorporating the concept of English as an International Language (EIL) into their educational system and teaching practice as a solution to this dilemma. While the Japanese have an indigenous language used for all purposes including academic discourse, in this age of globalization they seem to find it to their disadvantage. The recent move in Japan in both public and private sectors is to promote the use of English even among Japanese people, often at the expense of their native language. One practical approach to a solution or a mitigation of this dilemma is the teaching of EIL or de-Anglo-Americanized English as a means of expressing indigenous values in international communication. Although Japanese teachers of English have not really gone beyond the World Englishes paradigm, which describes the Expanding Circle Englishes including Japanese English as basically exonormative, efforts have been underway in Japan to put the idea of EIL into practice. The teaching of EIL in place of Anglo-American English provides a chance of reconciliation between the use of internal and external language resources.