| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
goman72
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Gosford, NSW, Australia.
|
 Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:22 am Post subject: JET & Xenophobia |
 |
|
At the orientation, both in our home country and then in Japan, will the JET organisation address or even mention anything about the racism in Japan?
CG |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Celeste
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 814
Location: Fukuoka City, Japan
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 11:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Yes, but they won't necessarily call it that. There are plenty of seminars at the orientation in Tokyo where you will be talking about living in Japan issues. You can ask your questions there and the presenters (current JETS) will do their best to answer your questions. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 12:53 pm Post subject: Re: JET & Xenophobia |
|
|
| goman72 wrote: |
At the orientation, both in our home country and then in Japan, will the JET organisation address or even mention anything about the racism in Japan?
CG |
This is only my opinion, but as far as things that affect foreigners on JET are concerned many of these things are issues that have been around since JET began 18 years ago or as long as foreigners have been in Japan. You can not legislate against peoples attitudes and prejudice. Anyway, I dont believe Japanese consider themselves to be racist but more "thats the way we do things in Japan". There are things that I would call institutionalised racism in Japan that even the courts, the government and the Tokyo governor uphold, but they will do nothing about. Getting hot and steamed at JET about it probably wont achieve very much, unless you are prepared to sue somebody.
You could even say that the fact JETs must be foreigners or non-Japanese is a kind of affirmative action, positive discrimination in favor of English speaking westerners. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
goman72
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Gosford, NSW, Australia.
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| You could even say that the fact JETs must be foreigners or non-Japanese is a kind of affirmative action, positive discrimination in favor of English speaking westerners. |
... True, but then what use would it be learning English with a heavy accent??? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Akula the shark
Joined: 06 Oct 2004
Posts: 103
Location: NZ
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Most Japanese are oblivious to the racism in their own country, and generally bewildered when it is brought to their attention. They are however, very quick to complain when they perceive that they are being discriminated against overseas. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 12:18 am Post subject: Re: JET & Xenophobia |
|
|
| PAULH wrote: |
| You could even say that the fact JETs must be foreigners or non-Japanese is a kind of affirmative action, positive discrimination in favor of English speaking westerners. |
Or... NEGATIVE discrimination for JET prospects in other, (non-English-speaking) countries. A friend of mine (who is Korean) wanted to do JET.... (Yes... there are Korean JETs. They usually teach Korean)...
But even though her English is close to that of a native-speaker, the ONLY way she'd even be considered for JET is to have i-kyu (level 1) Japanese proficiency, in addition to all the other standard JET applicaiton requirements. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 9:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| goman72 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| You could even say that the fact JETs must be foreigners or non-Japanese is a kind of affirmative action, positive discrimination in favor of English speaking westerners. |
... True, but then what use would it be learning English with a heavy accent??? |
HOw do you know non-native speakers have heavy accents? I have met native speakers that have accents that are virtually unintelligible (those from the American deep South, Wales or Scotland). Other people on the JET program also perhaps speak too fast for their learners, or even incorrectly. I have seen people on here who have weak grammar.
There are also many people who are close to native, but hold the wrong passport, or can not go on JET, who would make good candidates as well.
Im not saving that non-natives should be included but considering the fact that native speakers go to the top of the lists, yet many of them scream the loudest about racism and discrimination.
Racism does exist in Japan and even some Japanese experience it. For many white native speakers its simply the first time to be on the receiving end of discrimination.
Secondly, there are probably over 2 billion speakers of English in the world, only a small fraction, perhaps 10% are actually native speakers of English. Many countries English is spoken as a second language or people have a working knowledge of English. Japanese when they travel overseas will hear many people that dont speak English as a first language. I am now staying in a hostel with some Japanese and some 20 other nationalities, including Germans, Italians, Chinese Spanish and Japanese. The common language here is English. Japanese will not always hear American or Australian English and the chances of them reaching native fluency with a native-like American accent are practically zero.
Im not saying that Spanish should become JET teachers, but that native speakers are favorably regarded over other nationalities, including those that have people who speak English fluently. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
goman72
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Gosford, NSW, Australia.
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 9:46 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
goman72 wrote:
Quote:
You could even say that the fact JETs must be foreigners or non-Japanese is a kind of affirmative action, positive discrimination in favor of English speaking westerners.
... True, but then what use would it be learning English with a heavy accent???
|
Talking abooot heavy accents... what about the Scottish ??? They're native speakers AND have heavy accents !!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
6810
Joined: 16 Nov 2003
Posts: 309
|
| Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| ... True, but then what use would it be learning English with a heavy accent??? |
hmph - what is unaccented English? What if you learned English from birth in Singapore, Malaysia or India? sheesh |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
It's true. English accents are all relative, aren't they... Although I would venture to say that some are a bit more neutral than others.
In the United States, many Canadians seem to be able to get jobs in the entertainment industry as actors, news anchors, reporters, etc.... If you disagree, please don't blame me -- but someone explained to me that the reason for this was because when they hired someone with a neutral accent, it made better ratings with a varied consumer base than if someone had a heavy Texas drawl or a born-and-raised-in-New York accent... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
goman72
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 61
Location: Gosford, NSW, Australia.
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
Many organisations that claim to teach the "ideal" English accent, employ teachers with the SOUTHERN ENGLISH accent: anywhere south of the M25 orbital motorway and the Solent (but excluding the typical Dorset accent!)...
I do remember seeing the websites of these organisations and if I come across them again I will post 4 U.
Yes, the Southern English accent is indeed neutral, smooth, soft and sexy (maybe), not as harsh as the Occa (outback) Aussie accent.
Chris |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| goman72 wrote: |
Many organisations that claim to teach the "ideal" English accent, employ teachers with the SOUTHERN ENGLISH accent: anywhere south of the M25 orbital motorway and the Solent (but excluding the typical Dorset accent!)...
I do remember seeing the websites of these organisations and if I come across them again I will post 4 U.
Yes, the Southern English accent is indeed neutral, smooth, soft and sexy (maybe), not as harsh as the Occa (outback) Aussie accent.
Chris |
Sorry to split hairs again: a person can speak with a British accent, but if they come for Liverpool or Brighton it is said they speak with a dialect. A local variation of a region is considered a dialect.
Ozzies have accents but their dialects are from Melbourne, Sydney etc.
In a sense Scottish speak with a regional dialect as well. Am I wrong? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Brooks
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1369
Location: Sagamihara
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I met a Scotsman years ago and he said he used three dialects:
one from his hometown in southern Scotland, near England (the strongest accent)
another from Glasgow
and then the speech he used with people from outside Scotland. For me it was easy to understand, but with an accent. I don`t know what to call it.
It might be written about in the book the Story of English. There was an entire chapter on the Scottish dialect. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Iwantmyrightsnow
Joined: 12 Feb 2004
Posts: 202
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| PAULH wrote: |
| goman72 wrote: |
Many organisations that claim to teach the "ideal" English accent, employ teachers with the SOUTHERN ENGLISH accent: anywhere south of the M25 orbital motorway and the Solent (but excluding the typical Dorset accent!)...
I do remember seeing the websites of these organisations and if I come across them again I will post 4 U.
Yes, the Southern English accent is indeed neutral, smooth, soft and sexy (maybe), not as harsh as the Occa (outback) Aussie accent.
Chris |
Sorry to split hairs again: a person can speak with a British accent, but if they come for Liverpool or Brighton it is said they speak with a dialect. A local variation of a region is considered a dialect.
Ozzies have accents but their dialects are from Melbourne, Sydney etc.
In a sense Scottish speak with a regional dialect as well. Am I wrong? |
Wouldn't it be possible to speak with say a Scottish or Liverpudlian accent and not be speaking in dialect? My best mates do when they are talking with me but when I see them with people from home they switch back to the dialect. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
