Why Cant Learners of JFL Distinguish Polite From Impolite Speech Styles?

Why Cant Learners of JFL Distinguish Polite From Impolite Speech Styles?Haruko MInegIshI Cook

The Indexical Nature of Language How we communicate who we areHow we feel towards a given addresseeIndexes: Signs that indicate contexti.e.: I indexes the speaker and you indexes the addresseei.e.: here indexes a place close to the speaker and there indexes a place close to the addressee

Contextualization CuesSurface features of message formSpeakers signal and listeners interpret the messagei.e.: I dont wanna read in a rising tone -> Interpreted by some as a refusal-> Interpreted by others as a request for encouragement

Japanese Contextualization CuesContextual cues are mostly morphological. How an utterance said is more imporant than what is said. Politeness and the use of honorific expressions are extremely important.

Contextualization Cues for FL LearnersExtremely difficultInferential processes are too complexThey are mostly acquired through socialization and communicationRequires knowledge of:Social roles and social normsLinguistic features related to certain speech styles (Pragmalinguistic)Which structure is linked to which social role (Sociopragmatic)

Contextualization Cues for TeachersDifficult to teach explicitly-> Co-occur mostly in social contextRequires the teaching of:Language as a means of communicationNot as an object to be investigatedDifferent speech styles for different social rolesProblems:Classrooms are limited in terms of socialization opportunities

Participants120 average students taking Japanese 201.54% female 46% maleNative Speakers of English8 instructors teaching 12 sections. Half -> Native Speakers of JapaneseRest -> Near-Native Speakers of Japanese

MaterialA listening comprehension task Topic: Job interviewN. Of Applicants: 3Task: Choose the most appropriate applicantAim: To see whether participants could notice inappropriate speech

The ApplicantsApplicant A: More qualified but uses inappropriate language, skips honorific words and indirect speechApplicant B: Less qualified but uses polite language, uses honorific words and indirect speechApplicant C: Less qualified but uses polite language, uses honorific words and indirect speech

Results81% of choose Applicant A.14% choose Applicant C.5% choose Applicant B.Most students could not notice impolite Japanese. All instructors noticed Applicant A was impolite. (Higher Communicative Competence)

Factors in Student ChoicesInaccessible pragmatic functionsLacking sociopragmatic knowledgeNegative transfer from L1 culture.

The Effects of InstructionExplicit instruction makes the students notice pragmatic errors. Students notice impoliteness when they have time to think. The participants did not have explicit instruction of pragmatic knowledge except for Instructor 8. But Instructor 8s students vary on their performance.Possible cause: Best performing students are highly motivated to learn Japan, visit Japan, learn Japanese culture.

Teaching ImplicationsTeaching pragmatics is beneficialContextual cues should be includedAn extremely difficult process -> requires a lot of socializationLanguage should be taught as a means of communication, not an objectInstructors should: Improve on pragmatics, sociolinguistics and discourse knowledgeAnalyze the social context in teaching materialsTeach co-occuring contextualization cuesMake students pay attention to the social meaningIncrease motivation