The use of L1 in L2 language classrooms has long been a controversial issue in foreign language education. While many researchers and educators categorically reject L1 use, others (e.g. Atkinson, 1987, 1993; Van Lier, 1995) claim that it can have a positive effect on language learning if used appropriately. This presentation will show L1 use in classrooms of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) through detailed micro-ethnography. Two different types of classrooms (regular classrooms and cultural activity classrooms) at two different proficiency levels (beginner and advanced) will be compared.
Data extracts will be used to illustrate that L1 use is not random but is motivated by factors depending on the linguistic/interactional environment and the results will be compared to relevant prior research. The two major factors that determine L1 use in these particular JFL classrooms are (meta)linguistic and pedagogical. Typical patterns in the beginning-level regular classroom include the students translating the teacher’s questions into English as a meaning-negotiation device. This type of language switch from L2 to L1 is done for metalinguistic purposes. Pedagogically motivated L1 use is found in all 4 classes, e.g., by teachers asking for translation of lexical words from Japanese into English to make certain that the students know the vocabulary.
L1 use is more frequent in beginner-level classrooms than in advanced classes, and this is consistent with several other studies. In addition to metalinguistic and pedagogical factors, beginners often seem to use L1 for ‘affective’ purposes (c.f. Auerbach, 1993), since they do not feel comfortable attempting to express themselves in L2 when the activities are too challenging. Pedagogical implications of the findings will be discussed in the presentation, and recommendations for classroom teaching and learning will be provided.