Fukunaga 2006 FL literacy development using Anime ... - Oncourse
Fukunaga 2006 FL literacy development using Anime ... - Oncourse Fukunaga 2006 FL literacy development using Anime ... - Oncourse
“Those anime students”: Foreign language literacy development through Japanese popular culture Figure 4 Cycle of anime students’ JFL learning Anime Pre-exposed and reinforced by linguistic and cultural knowledge anime fans watched videos owned by local anime clubs that were not yet “officially” released in the United States with fansubs. Watching many fansubs made participants sensitive to and critical of how the language was translated. Another important advantage that learners found from watching anime was increased Japanese cultural knowledge of nonverbal gestures, mannerisms, social settings and rules, families, meals, and homes. From Kareshi kanojo no jijō, Emily explained that she learned about Japanese school settings, juken jigoku (examination hell), ijime (bullying), and katei houmon (teacher’s home visit). Ted mentioned that some of his friends started playing Go, a Japanese board game that uses black and white stones, after watching Hikaru no go (Hikaru’s Go). There are countless examples of mannerisms in Japan such as bowing, using chopsticks, and taking shoes off at the genkan (entrance of the house). Ted and Sean told me how they developed visual images of how streets look in Japan with vending Japanese class Learn and pratice grammar, writing system, speaking, and culture notes machines and konbini (24-hour convenience stores). Emily explained, In anime, you pick up the words, then go to class, you learn what the words mean, and go back to anime, ...to see them in context.... So basically, just like, you keep going back, the more you learn and more you can apply to anime. As a result of my findings, I developed a cycle of anime watching and Japanese learning often experienced by anime fans (see Figure 4). Anime students have been exposed to many aspects of the language and culture of Japan through anime and its subcultures before they start taking Japanese courses. In Japanese class, anime students put their prior knowledge to use while they gain new knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, writing systems, and culture. When these students go back to anime, they find themselves recognizing more words than before and reviewing things they learned in the past. As students continue this cycle of practice, they become JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT & ADULT LITERACY 50:3 NOVEMBER 2006 215
aware of how Japanese expressions are translated. Thus, watching anime becomes a reinforcement of Japanese knowledge. Some anime students might extend this cycle by digging into subcultures such as Japanese music, manga, and video games. Individual differences Each participant in this study had a different relationship with Japanese popular culture and language learning. Emily told stories of how she began watching anime with her best friend in high school while showing me a photo of her collection of Sailor Moon toys (see Figure 5). This photo symbolizes her relationship with the friend with whom she collected anime toys. In contrast to these happy memories, Emily also told some stories of her fear of not being understood by other students in her college dormitory. In her reflection paper on the interview conversation, Emily expressed her uncomfortable feelings: My friends before I met the anime club people were just the people who were there—my roommate, and neighbors on my dorm hall. They were nice enough most of the time but we didn’t share many interests at all and they thought I was weird because I liked anime. Emily had been looked down upon and ridiculed by others for being “strange” and “weird” because she watches “cartoons” and reads a lot of fantasy novels, including some manga. On the other hand, Emily often used the words weird and strange in positive ways when she explained the content of some anime shows during the interview. Emily also used these words to describe her anime friends and herself. She suggested that it was good for “anime friends” to be weird and even to use the word to describe one another because they all knew they were weird. Emily used the word weird several times in her interview. 216 “Those anime students”: Foreign language literacy development through Japanese popular culture I mean these people are weird and very accepting people because they know they are weird and you know...you know...and [because] everyone has the interest that people outside of the interest think it’s weird, you have more of the connection to each other. Because...they don’t see you as weird for liking that stuff. (Emily’s written response) The word weird in this case empowers Emily and her anime friends. The word weird has different meanings depending on who uses it to describe whom. That Emily takes an active role in calling herself weird implies that she is aware of her agency, instead of being passive about being viewed as weird by others. It seems as though Emily has been searching for some alternatives in her life and she found one by constructing herself through social activities within an anime community. Ted has a clear vision of how Japanese will be part of his future. He wants to be a translator of anime and video games, so he takes Japanese classes and East Asian literature classes seriously. To answer my question about whether or not anime influenced his future, Ted explained, “I think it definitely impacted, I guess, where I think my career is going. Because I liked anime so much so I decided to translate to English.” Sean started playing Japanese video games when he was in fourth grade, and he decided to study Japanese to be able to play the original Japanese games when he was in seventh grade. Then, when he started watching anime, he realized that there were many shows not imported to the United States, so he started taking private Japanese lessons from a Japanese woman. It’s really funny but in the meanwhile, I really got interested in Japanese itself and I kind of lost interest in the video games. So it was like that video games were a stepping stone into the study of Japanese language and culture, so...but I still get kind of nostalgic when I think back on it now.... (Sean’s interview transcript) Sean told me enthusiastically about traditional and historical Japanese cultural events in which he participated. In a way, Sean is shape-shifting his portfolio as a Japanese learner (Gee, 1996). JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT & ADULT LITERACY 50:3 NOVEMBER 2006
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“Those anime students”: Foreign language <strong>literacy</strong> <strong>development</strong> through Japanese popular culture<br />
Figure 4<br />
Cycle of anime students’ J<strong>FL</strong> learning<br />
<strong>Anime</strong><br />
Pre-exposed and reinforced by linguistic and<br />
cultural knowledge<br />
anime fans watched videos owned by local anime<br />
clubs that were not yet “officially” released in the<br />
United States with fansubs. Watching many fansubs<br />
made participants sensitive to and critical of<br />
how the language was translated.<br />
Another important advantage that learners<br />
found from watching anime was increased<br />
Japanese cultural knowledge of nonverbal gestures,<br />
mannerisms, social settings and rules, families,<br />
meals, and homes. From Kareshi kanojo no<br />
jijō, Emily explained that she learned about<br />
Japanese school settings, juken jigoku (examination<br />
hell), ijime (bullying), and katei houmon<br />
(teacher’s home visit). Ted mentioned that some<br />
of his friends started playing Go, a Japanese<br />
board game that uses black and white stones, after<br />
watching Hikaru no go (Hikaru’s Go). There<br />
are countless examples of mannerisms in Japan<br />
such as bowing, <strong>using</strong> chopsticks, and taking<br />
shoes off at the genkan (entrance of the house).<br />
Ted and Sean told me how they developed visual<br />
images of how streets look in Japan with vending<br />
Japanese class<br />
Learn and pratice grammar,<br />
writing system, speaking,<br />
and culture notes<br />
machines and konbini (24-hour convenience<br />
stores). Emily explained,<br />
In anime, you pick up the words, then go to class, you<br />
learn what the words mean, and go back to anime,<br />
...to see them in context.... So basically, just like, you<br />
keep going back, the more you learn and more you<br />
can apply to anime.<br />
As a result of my findings, I developed a cycle of<br />
anime watching and Japanese learning often experienced<br />
by anime fans (see Figure 4).<br />
<strong>Anime</strong> students have been exposed to many<br />
aspects of the language and culture of Japan<br />
through anime and its subcultures before they<br />
start taking Japanese courses. In Japanese class,<br />
anime students put their prior knowledge to use<br />
while they gain new knowledge of vocabulary,<br />
grammar, writing systems, and culture. When<br />
these students go back to anime, they find themselves<br />
recognizing more words than before and<br />
reviewing things they learned in the past. As students<br />
continue this cycle of practice, they become<br />
JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT & ADULT LITERACY 50:3 NOVEMBER <strong>2006</strong> 215
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