Oral Japanese Proficiency of Japanese Children in China and their Home Language Environment

Abstract

This study investigated the oral Japanese proficiency of Japanese children in mainland China (speakers of Japanese as a Heritage Language: JHL) and monolingual children (MC), and examined the relation between JHL's home language environment and their oral Japanese proficiency. Children's oral Japanese proficiency was measured by Oral Proficiency Assessment for Bilingual Children, which focuses on the dimensions of children's basic oral language skills, interactional skills and cognitive aspects. In addition, a parent questionnaire was used to ascertain the children's home language environment. Results revealed differences between JHL and MC in basic oral language skills such as capability of speaking with natural pronunciation, using necessary vocabulary in conversation and speaking grammatically. However, JHL did not differ from MC in interactional skills and cognitive skills such as conversational strategy and capability of telling logical stories with rich content. Correlation analyses suggested that more heritage language use is associated with higher oral heritage language proficiency. The findings indicated that more literacy activities in heritage language predicted a tendency of higher oral heritage language proficiency.