TAKEI Mitsuko    Department   Hiroshima shudo University  The Faculty of Global and Community Studies    Position   Professor
Date	2022/08/12
Presentation Theme	Japanese as a lingua franca interaction for L1 and L2 speakers in virtual contact situations
Conference	CAJLE Annual Conference 2022
Promoters	Canadian Association for Japanese Language Education
Conference Type	International
Presentation Type	Poster
Contribution Type	Collaborative
Venue	Ottawa (Virtual)
Publisher and common publisher	Mitsuko Takei & Mitsuakai Shimojo
Details	English as a lingua franca (ELF) is well recognized within recent foreign language education research and pedagogy. Likewise, Japanese as a lingua franca (JLF) is also a promising research area in a different context. Unlike ELF interactions, which happen globally, JLF interactions occur in specific communities and contexts with and without first language (L1) Japanese speakers. The population and diversity of second language (L2) Japanese speakers in multilingual/multicultural communities inside Japan have rapidly expanded. This has resulted in the emergence of “Plain Japanese” to reduce the communication gap between Japanese citizens and foreign residents (Iori, 2016). Further, Japanese learners overseas are established at secondary and higher education levels, especially due to the recent popularity of Japanese subcultures and traditional cultures. In particular, L2 learners in North American universities have the opportunity to use their target language (Japanese) with their peers who have different L1 backgrounds, including other Asian languages, and with L1 Japanese speakers (e.g., mobile students from Japan). In Japan, L1 students have the opportunity to interact interculturally in JLF with mobile students from partner universities overseas. These JLF interactions are primarily focused on mutual intelligibility, where linguistic, sociolinguistic, empathic, and strategic adjustments are required to ensure successful communication. This presentation first overviews an online conversation project involving two US universities and one Japanese university conducted during the pandemic-affected immobile semester in 2021. This virtual project aimed to provide JLF interaction opportunities for both L1 and L2 Japanese speakers. Following an overview of the project, the presentation analyzes the post-conversation survey and interviews to explore how L1 speakers (n=6) and L2 learners (n=7) perceive JLF interactions. The results demonstrate an overall positive reaction from both L1 and L2 speakers, who regarded it as an enjoyable experience. They also reveal some individual-level differences in terms of nervousness, naturalness, successfulness, and difficulties that the speakers felt during the interactions. The presentation concludes with implications for Japanese as a foreign language learning and teaching.