Abstract
This study is based on a survey of the language life of Brazilians, Latin American "newcomers," living in Soja City, Okayama Prefecture. It discusses the language life of Brazilian residents, various language problems, and the factors contributing to these problems. The survey found the following: Brazilian residents use mainly Portuguese within their own communities and speak Japanese only in specific situations in their daily lives; they rarely interact with local Japanese residents; they are barely able to carry out everyday conversation in Japanese, although they can read and write hiragana and katakana, but little or no kanji; and their social living environment prevents them from learning Japanese on a long-term basis, despite their keen willingness and strong need to learn the language. This study suggests that to solve the language problems faced by Brazilian residents, it is important for Brazilian residents not only to improve their Japanese skills, but also to promote mutual understanding and interaction between them and local Japanese residents. That is, Japanese language classes in local communities should be not only places for learning Japanese, but also places for interaction among Japanese and foreign community residents.
