Social Influences in the Acquisition and Maintenance of Spoken Japanese as a Heritage Language
Shibata Setsue and Koshiyama Yasuko
California State University, Fullerton Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
e-mail: sshibata@fullerton.edu, ykoshiyama@hotmail.com
This study examines the relationships between oral Japanese proficiency levels and six life and social factors for second-generation Japanese-Americans who speak Japanese as a heritage language (JHL): 1) language use at home, 2) experience in attending Japanese language school, 3) association with Japanese-speaking relatives, 4) frequency of visits to Japan during childhood, 5) activities in local Japanese communities, and 6) cultivation of interest in Japan through various media. 30 JHL speakers were given ACTFL Japanese Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI) as well as personal interviews to explore the above social factors. The results suggest that there are significant relationships between oral Japanese proficiency levels and four of these factors: language use at home (both choice of language used by parents to child and of child to parents), Japanese language school attendance, association with Japanese-speaking relatives, and cultivation of interest in Japan. No significant relationship was found between the subjects' OPI rating and the other two factors, i.e., frequency of visits to Japan and activities in Japanese communities. These results suggest the importance of parental support and encouragement to use Japanese, as well as exposure to the language outside of the home.
