Columns that reveal the world
- Getting up close and personal with the researchers -

How concerned are you about the way you use your own words?

If you were asked this question, how would you answer?
This is the first question in the 2011 "Public Opinion Poll on the National Language" conducted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. 77.9% of people answered "I pay a lot of attention" or "I pay a fair amount of attention" to this question. This was the highest percentage in the past three surveys.

On the other hand, in the same survey, when asked "Do you care about the way other people use language?", 75.7% of people answered "Yes." This means that three out of four people are concerned about the way other people use language.
So, how about your use of language? Please choose the correct meaning for the following words.

The correct answers for each question are "to look at something with a cynical eye ②," "to grin ②," "to sneer derisively ②," and "to omit ②." Did you understand the correct meaning? Incidentally, the survey showed that a high percentage of people in all age groups, from "16-19 years old" to "over 60 years old," chose the wrong meaning. This shows that despite the fact that roughly 80% of people feel that they are "careful about how they use words," they misinterpret the usage of Japanese.

In addition, especially in recent years, a decline in Japanese language ability among children has been pointed out. In the "National Academic Ability and Learning Status Survey (National Academic Ability Test)" conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for sixth graders in elementary school and third graders in junior high school, 19% of sixth graders and 11% of third graders did not answer a question that required reading a document and summarizing one's thoughts in about 100 characters. When asked why, 79% of sixth graders and 53% of third graders said that they "could not answer because it was too difficult." Furthermore, when asked why they "could not answer because it was too difficult," 40% of sixth graders and 50% of third graders said that they "did not understand the meaning of the question." In other words, it became clear that children are weak in their ability to "understand the argument of a passage, summarize their thoughts on it in their own words, and communicate it logically to others."

How do you feel about these results?

The present age is said to be the "age of global communication," and the importance of learning English has become a hot topic, with some companies recently making English their official in-house language. In light of this trend, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has announced a policy to lower the start date for English education in elementary schools from the current fifth grade to the third grade, and to make it an official subject from the fifth grade onwards. In addition, plans are in place to teach English in junior high school as a general rule. The aim seems to be to help students acquire basic English skills from an early age in order to develop human resources who can play an active role on the world stage.
However, from the perspective of mother tongue education, I believe that this trend raises the following important issues:

Problems faced by children today include "They can talk among their peers, but when they are in front of others, they are unable to speak with the listener in mind," and "They have a strong aversion to writing." Is it really possible to enrich English education at a stage when they are not yet able to fully understand and use their native language, Japanese?

There are two types of language ability: "speaking language ability" and "thinking language ability."
Of these, it is said that "conversational language ability" is naturally acquired by the time we enter elementary school. Through communication with the people around us, we learn "phonology and pronunciation," "vocabulary and phrases," and "language rules (grammar)," and by the time we enter school, we have acquired an understanding of 3,000 to 6,000 words and the ability to use basic grammar.
In contrast, "thinking language ability" is the ability to consciously understand and express one's native language, which is like water or air, and is acquired through planned, spiral, and conscious learning.

In elementary school, it is important to gradually make conscious use of the Japanese that you have been using unconsciously until then. Using example sentences, you will learn by making your own sentences, for example, comparing the difference in nuance between "subarashii" ("subarashii") and "tanoshii" ("lovely").
In junior high and high school, students learn to choose their words with a clear purpose in mind, such as "what do they want to discuss" or "what do they want to solve," and to express themselves logically and coherently so that the other person can easily understand.
Furthermore, at university, students acquire the ability to use language intentionally and systematically by logically structuring goals and processes, such as "what needs to be solved," "what are you proposing," and "what have you been thinking."

In this way, if you have firmly acquired the ability to think in your native language, when you learn another language, you will be able to easily understand it by analogy or substitution, and it will also develop into broadening and deepening your own thoughts. In other words, honing your ability to think in Japanese will form an important foundation for your foreign language acquisition.

So, what can we do to develop thinking and linguistic abilities in Japanese?

I advocate acquiring "five language awareness." Traditional Japanese language education tends to end with the acquisition of skills such as speaking and writing, and one-way communication. In contrast, the following "five language awareness" is important in cultivating "communicative ability," or two-way language ability.

① Change the words you use and your tone depending on whether the person you are communicating with is older or younger.
② Make the purpose clear, such as "What is the purpose of this discussion?" or "Why are we reading this document?"
③ Change your mannerisms and clothing depending on whether you are speaking in a private or official setting. To put it simply, think of the difference between a three-minute speech at a friend's wedding and a five-minute presentation to a business partner.
④ Be aware of ways to communicate clearly to the other person. Examples include "presenting keywords at the beginning" and "explaining using charts and videos."
And ⑤ is to proceed while checking whether the theme you want to convey and your expression (tone, facial expression, method, etc.) are properly understood by the other person. It is to check how your expression is viewed by others.

A symbolic example of these "five language awareness" is the Japanese presentation that led to the successful bid for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. A British consultant who has attracted attention as an "Olympic bid contractor" provided thorough guidance on such matters as "the speaker must properly understand what the audience wants," "they should take turns speaking and use videos and images to keep the audience from getting bored," and "they should put the same amount of effort into rehearsals as they do into writing the speech manuscript and preparing materials," and he videotaped the rehearsals. The presenters watched the video of their own presentations and made repeated improvements.

In Christel Takigawa's presentation, which has become a catchphrase, she was originally planning to point her index finger at the audience and say "Omotenashi". However, because the audience includes members of the IOC committee, including members of the royal family, there was concern that this would give the impression of arrogance, so the pose was changed to one where the hands are shaped like a flower bud. Furthermore, when Takigawa repeated "Omotenashi", she joined her hands together, which is the gesture of "Namaste", a greeting used in India and Nepal. Regarding this pose, the consultant revealed that "since there are many IOC members from Asia, we wanted to emphasize that we are welcoming the Olympics as representatives of Asia", and that this was also intended to solidify the Asian vote.

As a result of such meticulous strategy and effort, that moving presentation was born. Think back on the Japanese presentation in the light of the "five linguistic awareness" that I introduced earlier. You will understand how important the foundation of "linguistic ability to think in one's native language" is.

In order to perform well in sports, one needs strength and flexibility. Similarly, to support the "Five Language Awarenesses," one needs what might be called "basic linguistic strength." The "Three Cultivations" are what develop this basic strength.

Specifically, there are three things you can do: "Read aloud every day," "Copy out your favorite expressions," and "Read." Reading aloud allows you to absorb the rhythm and tempo of the Japanese language. Also, copying out your favorite expressions allows you to unconsciously pick up the basic forms of Japanese expression, such as introduction, development, turn, conclusion, opening, closing, and scene changes. Furthermore, by expanding the world of your imagination through reading, you can master rich linguistic expression.

We encourage you to try honing your Japanese language thinking skills with the "Five Language Awarenesses" and "Three Cultivations." This will surely also lead to your "rich global communication skills."

(Published in 2014)