The Bear and the Honeycomb : A History of Japanese English Language Policy

概要

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This article examines the cause of poor English language ability among the Japanese. In so doing, an analysis of the history of Japanese foreign language policy over the past four hundred years is undertaken. It is argued that ambiguity and contradiction have been (and remain) the focus of policy initiatives and that these characteristics are the result of a conscious effort by policy-makers to ensure access to foreign ideas without sacrificing Japanese identity. Hence, reading, grammar, and translation skills have been emphasized while communicative skills have been ignored, or at least downplayed. It is concluded that more modern policy initiatives like the JET Programme and the 1994 Curriculum Guidelines which cite the development of"communicative abilities"as an objective do not represent any real change in policy-making patterns due to the existence of barriers which prevent this goal from being achieved.