Mindsets of Native Japanese Speakers When Interacting with Non-Native Speakers: Using Semi-Structured Interviews

With the number of non-native speakers of Japanese increasing in Japan, some researchers have claimed that Japanese as a lingua franca (JLF). If JLF comes to be used in Japanese society and learned by native speakers, not only should their linguistic features be analyzed, but also their mindsets, with special focus on how they change. This study aims to reveal the mindsets of native Japanese speakers when interacting with non-native Japanese speakers and what factors can affect them. To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight native speakers where they were questioned about their past experiences with non-native speakers. The application of follow-up interviews as the research method allowed changes in those mindsets to be revealed. As a result, mindsets mentioned in interviews were categorized into three groups—taking care to speak intelligibly, wanting to improve their interlocutors’ Japanese language skills, and wanting to continue the conversation. Presenting actual narratives within each category should be valuable for future research. Moreover, three factors that seem to influence those mindsets were presented—experience interacting with non-native speakers, experience as non-native English speakers, and experience taking Japanese language teaching coursework.