Katakana-English in a World of Englishes : Identification and Recognition
摘要
In the past 50 years, the term "English in Japan" has generally referred to American English (business, social communication and entertainment) or British English (classical literature and culture), with education wavering between the two source countries.English loan-words have been welcomed into Japan at an unprecedented rate, now comprising 1015 of everyday Japanese vocabulary and 8090 of computer-related vocabulary (Olah, 2007).The linguistic importance of Katakana, used to write loan-words, has greatly increased.Katakana-English (KE), the Japanese method of expressing loan-words, has developed into a robust, unique sub-language with characteristics of both English and Japanese.But, just as an unacknowledged child faces crises of identity and ability, KE has grown up di#erent from its parents, able to relate to both at a limited level, but unsure of being understood by either.Now an established part of Japanese language, KE must look to English in other nations for part of its identity.But English in other nations does not provide a single focus for comparison.As English has spread around the world in the past three centuries, what has emerged is no single unified 'world English', but rather localized varieties that evolved in each region.The study of these local varieties, a thriving research field named World Englishes (WEs), now includes Japan as a region with a localized variety of English (Kachru, 2005).But what is a World English (WE)?How is a WE identified?What does it mean to be a member of the family of WEs?What are the social or pedagogical implications?