The contradictory effect of the ‘global’ on the ‘local’: Japanese behaviour and attitudes towards English use in local contexts

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to establish that globalised social and linguistic changes have a more complicated impact on local behaviours and attitudes than is believed. Based on statistical analysis of nationally representative surveys in Japan, the paper presents evidence against the following two propositions: (1) globalisation increases local demand for English use and (2) local enthusiasm for English-education reforms is a direct outcome of globalisation. The findings of the study suggest a significant disconnect between these discourses and reality. Therefore, this paper discusses the power of discourse in constructing images of globalisation and the global spread of English.

KEYWORDS:

• English-language education
• globalisation
• the global spread of English
• Japan
• language policy research

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to the Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSS), which admitted I used their data sets. JGSS are designed and carried out by the JGSS Research Centre at Osaka University of Commerce (Joint Usage/Research Centre for Japanese General Social Surveys accredited by Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), in collaboration with the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Of the 11 versions of the JGSS survey, only these two (JGSS-2006 and JGSS-2010) asked respondents about their experiences with English use in the previous 12 months.

2 Although this study is based on Terasawa (2015, Chapter 9), this study has a different goal than that of the previous study. The previous study examined English language needs from a sociological perspective but did not discuss them in the context of globalisation theory. In contrast, this paper highlights the power of globalisation discourses that misrepresent the social reality of English language use and the spread of English in non-English-speaking countries.

3 Source: Ministry of Justice. I refer to the 2009 figure, taking into account the timing of the JGSS-2010 survey (February to April 2010).

4 Source: Ministry of Finance. I refer to the 2009 figure, taking into account the timing of the JGSS-2010 survey.

5 Some opinion polls were conducted by newspaper publishers to understand Japanese people’s attitudes towards an early start in ELT. The polls revealed that they have generally accepted it (see Terasawa [2015, 217]). For example, a series of random-sampling opinion polls conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun in the 2000s reveals that the majority of the Japanese (more than 80% in most of the polls) agreed with an early start in ELT. This suggests that the general public has accepted and welcomed the introduction despite the fact that it has been strongly opposed by many politicians and intellectuals (see Hashimoto [2011]).

6 Although this study is based on the one conducted by Terasawa (2015, Chapter 12), the two studies have rather different goals. While Terasawa (2015) aimed to explore the effects of a variety of factors (educational background, English proficiency, political attitudes) on enthusiasm for early ELT, this study focuses on the relationship between globalisation and enthusiasm for ELT reforms instead. Indeed, the different goals reflect the different models adopted in the studies.