Sociocultural Influences On Language In Japanese Language

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Sociocultural influences on language ideology caused the mothers, even those who were more determined to teach their children Thai (Piti and Fern), to speak Japanese in the presence of Japanese speakers. May felt that it was necessary for Japanese speakers to be tuned in and Piti regarded the use of Thai as shitsurei (bad manners). The mothers were generally concerned that speaking Thai in front of in-laws, teachers, and other mothers would be perceived negatively. Ning confided:
もしタイ語使ったら向こうのおじいちゃんちゃん、おばあちゃんは文句を言うかも。反対かもしれません。(If I use Thai, their grandfather, grandmother might complain. They might protest.)
Ning also did not speak Thai in front of her child’s teacher for the same reason. However, it was uncertain whether her in-laws or the teacher would actually disapprove given that she had never tried using it. May was aware that speaking Japanese would deprive her children of valuable Thai input. Her dilemma led her to a compromise of speaking some English with Japanese. She shared: …show more content…

But if I keep saying Thai, (they are wondering) what are you talking about. If I speak in English, they might understand some word.
While speaking Thai would result in complete exclusion, May reasoned that Japanese speakers would somewhat understand the English she used to her children. While May denied that the prestige of English was a factor, she probably perceived that English was more ‘acceptable’ for Japanese people. The children also play a role in socializing their mothers into using Japanese in front of their friends. Fern

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