Cursed by Accuracy: Exploring Decolonial Practices in Undoing the Native Speaker Spell
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| Title: | Cursed by Accuracy: Exploring Decolonial Practices in Undoing the Native Speaker Spell |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Mitsuyo Sakamoto |
| Source: | IAFOR Journal of Education. 2025 13(3):339-357. |
| Availability: | International Academic Forum. Sakae 1-16-26 - 201 Naka Ward, Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0008. Tel: +81-50-5806-3184; Web site: http://iafor.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Higher Education, College Students, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Decolonization, Self Esteem, Japanese, Language Proficiency, Native Speakers, Student Writing Models |
| Geographic Terms: | Japan |
| ISSN: | 2187-0594 |
| Abstract: | Focusing on one Japanese English learner Mami (pseudonym), whose pursuit of grammatical accuracy reflects Japanese English education which emphasizes morphosyntactic precision, this case study examines how raciolinguistic ideologies manifest in the language learning experiences of Japanese university students majoring in English. Mami's experiences are contrasted with two other students in her class, those of Hayao and Ryota (pseudonyms), who have lived in non-English dominant countries. Drawing on questionnaires, writing samples, and a focus-group interview, the analysis shows how Mami's accuracy anxiety functions not simply as a cognitive or pedagogical concern but as an ontological and raciolinguistic effect, shaped by colonial histories of linguistic legitimacy, reinforced by Japanese education. Situated within scholarship on native-speakerism, English imperialism, decolonial pedagogy and raciolinguistics, the paper argues that learning environments outside the Anglophone "centre" can unsettle the association between English mastery and whiteness. By linking grammatical accuracy to colonial affect, this paper extends raciolinguistic inquiry and calls for a decolonial reorientation of English learning in Japan, one that values pluriversal encounters over proximity to so-called native speakers. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1494157 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Focusing on one Japanese English learner Mami (pseudonym), whose pursuit of grammatical accuracy reflects Japanese English education which emphasizes morphosyntactic precision, this case study examines how raciolinguistic ideologies manifest in the language learning experiences of Japanese university students majoring in English. Mami's experiences are contrasted with two other students in her class, those of Hayao and Ryota (pseudonyms), who have lived in non-English dominant countries. Drawing on questionnaires, writing samples, and a focus-group interview, the analysis shows how Mami's accuracy anxiety functions not simply as a cognitive or pedagogical concern but as an ontological and raciolinguistic effect, shaped by colonial histories of linguistic legitimacy, reinforced by Japanese education. Situated within scholarship on native-speakerism, English imperialism, decolonial pedagogy and raciolinguistics, the paper argues that learning environments outside the Anglophone "centre" can unsettle the association between English mastery and whiteness. By linking grammatical accuracy to colonial affect, this paper extends raciolinguistic inquiry and calls for a decolonial reorientation of English learning in Japan, one that values pluriversal encounters over proximity to so-called native speakers. |
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| ISSN: | 2187-0594 |
