Acquiring the Heritage Language:
A Case Study of a Japanese Language School in Hawai'i
Usui Yoshiko
International Christian University, English Language Program
After experiencing language shift, many parents in the Japanese community in Hawai'i, prompted by the enhanced international status of Japan, are sending their children to after-school Japanese language schools to provide them with the opportunity to learn their heritage language. However, this has not led to widespread bilingualism. This paper begins by tracing the history of Japanese language maintenance and revitalization efforts in Hawai'i and comparing the level of support for the heritage language to Fishman's Graded Intergenerational Dislocation Scale. It then moves on to report on a case study of one of the 12 Japanese language schools in O'ahu in order to determine why language revitalization efforts have not been more successful. A number of possible causes are discovered: the dominance of English in the classroom, a view of reading that emphasizes decoding over critical understanding, lack of motivation and involuntary participation on the part of the students, a gap between the school's goals and the desires of the parents and students, and budgetary constraints that may have led to lower teacher morale. This paper concludes by exploring possible options to overcome these problems and promote bilingualism in the Japanese community, including immersion and two-way bilingual programs in the public schools.
