Chinese and Japanese language learning and foreign language education in Japan and China: Some international perspectives

Journal article

This special issue has a double focus: Japanese and Chinese language teaching and learning around the globe, and language education in Japanese and Chinese contexts. Accordingly, in this introduction we aim first to provide readers with an overview of the growth of Chinese and Japanese as a foreign language, and secondly to explore issues related to the teaching and learning of foreign languages in Japan and China. While the teaching and learning of Japanese and Chinese are more recent study options in many higher education contexts, they are emerging as important modern languages for global citizens. This is especially true of Europe, which in many ways lags behind America and Australia in the teaching and learning of these languages, but is quickly catching up. Just as globalisation is driving the study of East Asian foreign languages, it is also resulting in an increase in importance of language learning in East Asian contexts, particularly with the learning of English as an international language. This special issue aims therefore to explore some of the dimensions of the impact of Japan and China’s global rise on language learning in higher education around the world.

Authors: Rose, H; Carson, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Journal: Language Learning in Higher Education
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 257-269
• Publication date: 2014-10-08
• Acceptance date: 2012-01-01
• DOI: 10.1515/cercles-2014-0014