The aim of this paper is to reconsider language education from the viewpoint of welfare linguistics. It emphasizes the importance of cooperation on three fronts: cooperation between the four areas of the language education (Japanese language education for non-native speakers, mother/heritage language education, Japanese language education for native speakers, and foreign language education); cooperation between different school subjects (by way of taking up language issues in all subjects); and cooperation between subcategories of education such as intercultural communication studies and international education. In the age of globalization, language education needs to focus not only on the development of communicative competence, but also on the education of intercultural citizens of a globalized community who can understand and tolerate differences and otherness. This paper also shows that welfare linguistics contributes to eliminating linguistic discrimination towards minority speakers, as well as enriching the lives of all members of a community. In Japan this idea is rarely found in language education, and institutional constraints exist. However, the realization of language education in a wider sense, as described in this paper, is what it means to implement the idea of the welfare linguistics in a society of multicultural co-existence.

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The purpose of this paper is to propose a new framework in order to discuss further efforts to promote "guaranteeing equal access to information", a topic which has received a lot of attention after the Great East Japan Earthquake. In this paper, however, we do not limit the discussion to emergencies but extend it to normal situations. In this discussion, we need to take into account the following three points: 1) tailoring the form of information to each person's specific needs, 2) overcoming all barriers which prevent some people from accessing information equally, and 3) ensuring that every single person can always send out information. With this in mind, we introduce three cases of information limitation, foreigners, deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and people with intellectual disabilities, and consider problems specific to each group and what they share in common. We point out the necessity of "universal design of information" as the best way to address shared problems, and present "plain Japanese" as a concrete means of implementing this.

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This paper examines assumptions related to one type of "language service," the provision of important information for foreign residents during a disaster, and how it worked in one situation. The data was collected through interviews with nine foreigners residing in Urayasu City, Chiba prefecture, when it was hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 11, 2011. In this study we found that (i) foreign residents appeared to be inert in obtaining information provided by local government; (ii) rather than personal written Japanese ability, neighborhood networks played an important role in the process of obtaining information; (iii) the aim of information provided by local government may be beyond supporting foreign resident's self-help. This paper concluded with a discussion of the concept of "literacy network," a term coined here to refer to the reception processes of information through manifold networks. It is suggested that literacy networks should be considered when planning for language services, especially during disasters.

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This article examines features of linguistic behaviors of facilitators in community planning workshops, how they affect discussions, and whether or not they are effective. In order to specify facilitators' linguistic behaviors, their behaviors were compared with those of chairpersons in business meetings as both workshops and business meetings belong to the meeting genre. The data analyzed in this study is data obtained from video and audio recordings of workshops (approx. 80 hours) and business meetings (approx. 35 hours), from fieldwork, and from follow-up interviews with meeting participants. The analysis indicates that facilitators utilize linguistic strategies related to relational aspects of interaction (politeness), and employ strategies that present meta-information. These features encourage discussion that allows participants to participate equally, understand the flow of the discussion, and enables rapport to develop among members. It can be concluded that facilitators play an important role in community planning discussion, helping parties involved to cooperate effectively.

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This study examines patients' and physicians' perceptions of apologies in contrasting situations with regard to the seriousness of an event: breaking bad news (cancer) and keeping patients waiting. A questionnaire survey consisting of 15 items using the SD method and free format comments on experiences in situations involving apologies was conducted. A statistical analysis of the results revealed that: (1) both patients and physicians negatively evaluate apologies in more serious situations while they evaluate positively in less serious situations, (2) physicians assess both situations more sensitively than patients, and (3) patients in their 20s more negatively evaluate more serious situations than patients in their 30s or above. Analysis of the comments showed that, concerning the positive effect of physicians' apologies, both patients and physicians most frequently mentioned patient's waiting time. Regarding the negative effect of physicians' apologies, patients related cases in which apologies caused them to feel uneasiness or distrust, while physicians most often described cases involving patients' misunderstanding. This analysis suggests that apologies in less serious situations are beneficial in fostering relationships between patients and physicians, while apologies given in more serious situations sometimes produce unintended consequences that can be detrimental to relationships.

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Little is known about the relationship between asymmetry in doctor-patient communication and the influence of culture. This study used qualitative and quantitative discourse analysis to compare 20 outpatient consultations in Japan with 20 in the US. The main outcomes examined were activity structures and linguistic variations when beginning and closing the consultations, and in the question and answer time between the doctors and patients. Compared with America, the Japanese consultations tended to show 1. more succinct structures, more ambiguous brackets and more asymmetrical exchanges in the beginning, 2. more supportive/dependent and asymmetrical exchanges (by cooperative turn sequences and back-channeling) in the question and answer time, and 3. more institutionalized and asymmetrical exchanges when closing the consultation. These asymmetrical variations, which may reflect high-context and relation-based Japanese culture, might cause problems in cross-cultural medical encounters. Adequate awareness of such variations may enhance understanding between Japanese doctors and patients from other cultures.

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This study measured assertiveness in terms of four dimensions (open expression, control of emotion, consideration for others, and self-direction) and had the following three objectives. First, the existing assertiveness scale containing the four dimensions was reorganized. Second, the validity of the revised scale was determined by examining the relationship of the four dimensions with the prior assertiveness scale and aggression. Third, the effect of assertiveness on mental health was examined. The data used was obtained from questionnaires completed by 280 undergraduate students. In this study, the scale of the four dimensions was modified such that it did not contain hypothetical situations and each dimension had the same number of items. The relationships between the four dimensions and the prior assertiveness scale and with aggression were examined. Open expression, control of emotion, and self-direction had content in common with the prior assertiveness scale. These three dimensions also had conceptual similarity to verbal aggression. Consideration for others had content that the prior assertiveness scale had not implied. This dimension tended to be confused with aggressive cognition in this study. In previous research, some of the dimensions had curvilinear relationships with mental health, however, the results of this study revealed linear relationships between elements that regulate the execution of self-expression, such as control of emotion and mental health. Therefore, future studies are needed to develop a more precise measurement of the dimensions of assertiveness, particularly consideration for others.

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Previous studies on person deixis have tended to deal with the expression of the speaker or the hearer, rather than the linguistic form referring to the third person. This may be due to the fact that analysis of reference terms seeks to explore the complicated human relationships between the speaker, the hearer, and the referent. This paper analyzes reference terms used among members of a family, which is one of the three major contexts in the study of the person deixis in Japanese, as Koizumi (1990) points out. The data analyzed in this study was obtained by means of participant observation. The detailed examination of the recorded data led to the following four findings: (1) The speaker adopts three kinds of viewpoints of the referent: the speaker's viewpoint, the hearer's viewpoint, and a third person viewpoint. (2) The third person is referred to by kinship terms, first name, and surname. (3) Generational differences and blood relationships between the speaker, the hearer, and the referent are two crucial factors which affect the speaker's choice of linguistic forms. (4) The hearer's age has an influence on deciding the speaker's viewpoint of the referent.

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This paper describes how zero-marked quotative expressions (quotations followed by neither quotative particles nor reporting verbs) are used in campaign speeches by Japanese politicians. They are used not just to report what someone has said but rather to point out what that person has said and to share a view on those words with the audience. They are also used to describe another's words vividly to involve the audience in the story.

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This study focuses on the specific type of reactions which listeners give while listening to stories in naturally occurring conversations. These reactions, which I call serifu utterances, are given by listeners as voices of characters in stories. The functions of these utterances in storytelling are examined using the framework of interaction analysis. It is argued that listeners use serifu utterances to show speakers that listeners have understood stories and to reconstruct the utterance to show their points more distinctively. What these reactions tell us is that, in talk-in-interaction, listeners actively contribute to the construction of stories, and that storytelling is accomplished collaboratively among participants of conversations. The present study also analyzes sequences initiated by serifu utterances.

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