English in Japan in the Era of Globalization

In a world in which global communication is becoming ever more important and in which English is increasingly being positioned as the pre-eminent international language, Japan presents a particularly compelling case for the examination of the realities of English as a global language. As is often noted by commentators, Japan shows an intense fascination towards English yet, despite the strong visual and conceptual presence the language occupies in society, it has no official status, nor, in relative terms, do the majority of citizens require any great fluency in it for their everyday lives. Yet English in some form or at some symbolic level has become a significant part of everyday life in modern Japan. Now in paperback, this book, written by leading scholars in the field, explores the role, status and uses of English in Japan, and focuses on the ways in which globalization is influencing language practices in the country.

Philip Seargeant is Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the Centre for Language and Communication, The Open University, UK. He is author of The Idea of English in Japan: Ideology and the Evolution of a Global Language, Exploring World Englishes: Language in a Global Context and From Language to Creative Writing (with Bill Greenwell), and editor of English in the World Today: History, Diversity, Change (with Joan Swann), and The Language of Social Media (with Caroline Tagg).