Doctoral Dissertation Research: Hippo Family Club Language Learners in Japan and the USA

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this dissertation research project is to expand sociolinguistic understandings of language and globalization by studying the multilingual practices and ideologies of members of Hippo Family Club, an international language-study group, in Japan and the United States. Hippo Family Club is an international organization dedicated to the motto "Anyone can speak seven languages." Its affiliates, primarily ethnic, economic, and linguistic majority members, describe themselves as part of a transnational "family" of multilingual learners. This study combines participant observation in Japan and the US with close analysis of members' discourse practices in order to describe their ideologies of monolingualism and multilingualism. The study utilizes two primary methods: participant observation, and close analysis of discourse. The researcher participates as a member of Hippo Family Club, recording observations in field notes, which are then qualitatively analyzed to describe and explain club practices. Hippo Family Club meetings will also be video-recorded, and individual members will be interviewed regarding their experiences with the club. The project aims to refine and expand understanding of the tactics of intersubjectivity (Bucholtz and Hall 2004). The tactics of intersubjectivity view individuals both as agent of their own identity positions, and as subject to social structures beyond their control. Individuals claim a social position through performance and habitual practice, but these claims are subject to authentication by others. This study examines these practices in a transnational group whose members may never meet one another in person. Both Japan and the United States are stereotypically viewed as monolingual nation-states, despite the presence of considerable linguistic diversity in each area. At the same time, however, middle class subjects in each country value multilingualism. This study examines how club members reconcile seemingly contradictory values on monolingualism and multilingualism.