This case study investigates ethnolinguistic vitality among fourth-generation Japanese-Brazilians. Takashi and Keiko (pseudonyms) were both invited to speak at a weekly online forum open to those interested in learning about the realities of ethnolinguistic vitality among South American Nikkei. Their presentations were entirely in Japanese, recorded and transcribed for analysis.Their narratives collected in winter 2021 challenge colonial discourse that ascribes them decontextualized, depoliticized stereotypical migrant identity, allowing for calibration of bilingual and heritage language education, parental, community and social expectations and involvement, and learning materials and opportunities that are conducive to language and cultural learning and maintenance.
This case study is part of a larger study that investigates ethnolinguistic vitality among South American Nikkei, or those of Japanese heritage. This study focuses on two participants in particular because they are the only fourth-generation Japanese-Brazilians among all the participants (who are mostly third generation). Sakamoto (2001) has described how bilingual child-rearing is often successful up until the second generation, when the first generation raises the second, but not after. Though rarely, some members of later generations do manage to acquire a high command of L1 and L2. With the recent impetus of globalization, Appadurai's (1996) five scapes, namely media-, techno-, ethno-, finance- and ideoscapes, complexly shape the experiences and hence the L1 and L2 learning of the children who find themselves in this 'third place' (Kramsch, 2010). Moreover, in recent years, language learning has often been associated with neoliberal ideologies (Block, Gray & Holborow, 2013), and while English and Spanish are frequently mentioned as powerful and thus desirable languages in Brazil (Sakamoto & Matsubara Morales, 2016), the study shows how the participants manage to find motivation for their ethnolinguistic vitality outside the neoliberal discourse. Keiko and Takashi (pseudonyms) are college students in Brazil; Keiko is majoring in design and Takashi in medicine. Takashi and Keiko were both invited to speak at a weekly online forum open to those interested in learning about the realities of ethnolinguistic vitality among South American Nikkei. Their presentations were entirely in Japanese, recorded and transcribed for analysis. Their narratives collected in winter 2021 challenge colonial discourse that ascribes them decontextualized, depoliticized stereotypical migrant identity, allowing for calibration of bilingual and heritage language education, parental, community and social expectations and involvement, and learning materials and opportunities that are conducive to language and cultural learning and maintenance.
