タケイ　ミツコ   TAKEI Mitsuko   竹井　光子    所属   広島修道大学  国際コミュニティ学部    職種   教授
発表年月日	2025/02/25
発表テーマ	Navigating the use of "Plain Japanese" as a glocal lingua franca: Perspectives from Japanese university students
会議名	5th Southeast Asian Conference on Education (SEACE2025)
主催者	International Academic Forum (IAFOR)
学会区分	国際学会
発表形式	口頭（一般）
単独共同区分	単独
開催地名	Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, Malaysia & Online
発表者・共同発表者	Mitsuko Takei
概要	This study explores Japanese university students’ experiences and challenges in using Plain Japanese as a glocal lingua franca in intercultural communication. Plain Japanese, characterized by simplified vocabulary and grammar, acts as a bridge in diverse cultural contexts by facilitating clear, direct communication while preserving its roots in the Japanese language and culture. By avoiding complex kanji (Chinese characters) and keigo (polite language), it becomes more accessible to non-native speakers, such as immigrants and international students.　As Japan becomes a more multicultural society, Plain Japanese is increasingly used in public services, education, tourism, and everyday interactions as a “glocal” tool to overcome language barriers. This study focuses on two exemplary students who were actively engaged in Japanese-mediated intercultural activities. Through in-depth interviews, the study assessed the students’ perceptions and difficulties in using Plain Japanese. The results of the reflective thematic analysis show that while the students benefitted from using their first language in global communication and valued their role in promoting inclusive communication, they encountered difficulties in maintaining conversational depth and naturalness when simplifying their language. In addition, they struggled to balance their use of Plain Japanese with cultural norms and expectations, such as avoiding oversimplification, which could be perceived as condescending. This study suggests that these positive and negative experiences using Plain Japanese will help improve students’ intercultural communication skills. These findings also suggest that simplified language approaches can be applied to other glocal lingua francas to enhance global communication education.