A Hollywood English Pronunciation for Japanese Students? An Exploration of Japanese University Students’ Attitudes towards Japanese English Pronunciation
This article reports on a study that evaluated Japanese university students’ attitudes towards Japanese English and inner circle English pronunciation, with the aim of gauging their level of acceptance of Japanese movie star Ken Watanabe as an English pronunciation role model. Students completed an online questionnaire that assessed how attractive, comprehensible and achievable they found Watanabe’s English pronunciation in comparison to a British and an American actor’s speech. The results of the study indicated that respondents regarded Watanabe’s pronunciation as being significantly less attractive, but more comprehensible and achievable than that of the other two actors. No significant differences were observed between the responses for the inner circle speakers. Watanabe’s Japanese English pronunciation appeared to be perceived as somehow inferior to that of the British and American speakers by participants, and this seems likely to be the main obstacle preventing the adoption of Watanabe as a pronunciation role model by Japanese students of English.
목차
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION METHODOLOGY Participants Instrument Procedures Data Analysis RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Differences in Attractiveness, Comprehensibility and Achievability The Influence of Background Variables Correlation Between Scales Participants’ Comments LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY CONCLUSION THE AUTHOR REFERENCES APPENDIX
키워드
pronunciationrole modelJapaneseWorld English
저자
Eoin Jordan [ Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan ]
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.