호주 일본어 학습자의 일본어 의식 - 시드니대학과 호주국립대학을 중심으로

Attitudes and Perceptions of Japanese Language Learners in Australia toward Japanese : A Case of The University of Sydney and The Australian National University

  The estimated figure for the total number of Japanese language learners worldwide is 2,979,820, according to The Japan Foundation"s 2006 survey on overseas Japanese language institutions. The global trend toward the increasing popularity of the Japanese language is also apparent in Australia, where the number of Japanese language learners, institutions, and teachers is on the rise. Against this backdrop, this article aims to provide a brief overview of the status of Japanese language education in Australia, and to examine Japanese language learners’ attitudes and perceptions toward Japanese as their second language. To that end, the study explores the ways in which they receive information about Japan, and how images of Japan and the Japanese language vary among those learners with different personal interests about Japan. Based on the findings on attitudes and perceptions toward Japanese, this article also takes the chance to delve into goals in learning Japanese as a second language in Australia.