Learning a foreign language is understanding cultural difference, relativising the self, and appreciating the ‘other’. But the question remains whether seemingly disparate cultures can truly be bridged. The paper uses data from a case study inquiry to explore Japanese university students' experiences of studying French. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. Using a qualitative approach within an interpretivist paradigm, the paper examines the following questions: How do Japanese students’ experiences of French shape their understanding, appreciation and identification with French language and culture? What factors and forces oppose this sense of identification, and how do students manage them? The study found that students perceive the motto ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’ as possessing strong resonances in the way French people engage passionately (and even aggressively) with language, how they relate (sometimes with hostility) to their fellow compatriots, to other nationalities, to authority and hierarchy. These temperaments contrast the students` insight of the Japanese accustomed use of polite and humble speech embedded in Japanese social hierarchies, social status, and the nature of relationships. While concuring with the literature that the Japanese language, culture and history is indeed deeply ingrained in the understanding and respect of social norms, the paper nonetheless concludes by proposing foreign language learning frameworks relevant and useful for Japanese students in their endeavours to reach out to a language and culture fascinatingly divergent to theirs, in the way they may be perceived to champion emancipation and individual rights, embolden passion, and bestow legitimacy to resist oppression.

Authors:
Mico Poonoosamy, Josai International University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Mico Poonoosamy is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Language Education and at Josai International University in Tokyo, Japan. His research focuses on global citizenship education, international mindedness, and intercultural understanding.

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mico-Poonoosamy

Additional website of interest
https://researchmap.jp/Mico3178

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