Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Applied Research in Education
Year: 2023
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/5th.areconf.2023.10.130
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Effects of Participating in Multicultural Communication for English Learners on their First Language Use
Koichiro Kitamura
ABSTRACT:
This paper deals with effects of participating in multicultural communication for Japanese learners of English by analyzing their first language use. The investigation is made in a Japanese university, where a group of Japanese students are invited to an English language course for overseas students from China, South Korea, and Vietnam. The attempt to encourage Japanese students to practice speaking English with international students can be regarded successful, judging from some participants’ comments that say they tend to feel easy with the non-native speakers of English and focus on what they talk about, rather than how well they speak English. Such feedback may give a good reason to carry on the collaborative activities for language teachers, but this study further provides rationale based on a sign of positive attitude or a sense of solidarity that is linguistically expressed by code-switching in conversation with the overseas students in Japanese. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that the experience of intercultural communication can provide an opportunity to take notice and make adjustments on their first language use and to nurture a sense of solidarity among the participants.
keywords: a sense of solidarity, code-switching, English classes, expanding circle countries, Japanese learners of English