The Use of Japanese in Computer-Mediated Communication by Japanese-Speaking Melburnians: Implications for Language Maintenance

The University of Melbourne
School of Lanugages and Linguistics

Researcher: Hiroki Kurihara
e-mail: marronplan@optusnet.com.au


A red asterisk (*) indicates required questions.

  1. Age: years old *


  1. Gender:*
    Male
    Female


  1. Place of birth:*
    Japan
    Australia
    Other


  1. Length of stay in Australia*


  1. If born outside of Australia, how old were you when you came to Australia?


  1. Is your stay in Australia:*
    Permanent
    Temporary


  1. Please answer all of the following questions.

    1. How long have you lived in Japan?

    2. What is the highest school year level/degree that you completed in Japan?
    (eg. primary grade2, university batchelor)

    3. For how many years have you had education in Japan? *


  1. Occupation (if you are a student at school, please indicate year level):


  1. Do you usually use Japanese in this occupation?*
    Yes
    No


  1. Please list the members of your family and/or Japanese friends in Australia in the space below. What language(s) do you speak with them and why? Please explain briefly.

    Example:
    with mother in Japanese: Because she is more fluent in Japanese
    with friend from school in Japanese and English: Usually we speak English. We speak Japanese only for fun.*


  1. How often do you speak Japanese in your home?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Never  All the time


  1. How often do you speak Japanese outside your home?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Never  All the time


  1. If you speak Japanese outside your home, where and with whom do you speak it?


  1. Have you taken a Japanese language class?
    (if 'No', please go to Q18)*
    Yes
    No


  1. If yes, please indicate the highest level you completed. 


  1. For how long?


  1. Where and why did you study Japanese?


  1. How important is it to you to be able to speak Japanese? Why is it important?


  1. Do you feel that your Japanese is not as good as the Japanese in your age group who live in Japan?*
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Strongly agree   Strongly disagree


  1. How well do you speak English?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Very well  Not at all


  1. Which language do you speak better, Japanese or English?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Japanese  English


  1. How well do you read in Japanese?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Very well  Not at all


  1. What do you read in Japanese? (e.g. books, newspapers, magazines, online materials, etc.)


  1. If you do not read in Japanese, please explain why not.


  1. How well do you write in Japanese?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Very well  Not at all


  1. How often do you write letters or cards and send them by post (not e-mails)?  *


  1. What do you write in Japanese? (e.g. letters, cards, essays, shopping lists, etc.)


  1. If you do not write in Japanese, please explain why not.


  1. If you can not write in Japanese, what would you like to be able to write in Japanese?


  1. Do you feel that your writing skills in Japanese are not as good as the Japanese writing skills of people in your age group who live in Japan? (e.g. polite form/formal writing, academic writing, kanji, etc.)*
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Strongly agree   Strongly disagree


  1. What problems do you experience when you write in Japanese?


  1. How often do you use a personal computer?  *


  1. Where do you have access to the Internet? (e.g. home, school, etc.)


  1. In which language did you first learned how to use the Internet?*
    Japanese
    English
    Other


  1. How old were you when you first learnt how to use the Internet?*


  1. Who taught you how to use the Internet?


  1. What was the reason that you started using the Internet?


  1. How often do you watch Japanese TV?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Always  Never


  1. How often do you read Japanese press?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Always  Never


  1. How often do you use the Japanese Internet?*
     
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Always  Never


  1. Please check all of the features of the Internet you use in Japanese:*
    Serfing the web
    E-mail
    Chat
    Social Network Service
    Blog
    Message board
    Video chat
    Greeting cards
    Multiplayer games
    Music downloads
    Online radio / video
    Others
    None


  1. Please check all of the features of the Internet you use in English:*
    Serfing the web
    E-mail
    Chat
    Social Network Serevice
    Blog
    Message board
    Vidoe chat
    Greeting cards
    Multiplayer games
    Music downloads
    Online radio / video
    Others
    None


  1. Which technology do you use to communicate with your friends and/or family living in Japan? (please check all that you use)*
    Telephone
    E-mail
    Chat (text)
    Social Network Service
    Blog
    Message board
    Video chat
    Voice chat
    Greeting cards
    Others
    Don't communicate with them


  1. Which of the above technologies do you use most often and why?


  1. What are the advantages of using the Internet to communicate with your friends and/or family in Japan?


  1. In what situation do you think it is inappropriate to use e-mail to communicate a specific message?


  1. If you have a mobile phone, which language do you mainly use for SMS to communicate with your family or Japanese friends?*
    English
    Romanised Japanese
    Japanese
    Others
    Don't have a mobile
    Don't communicate with them by SMS


  1. How often do you communicate with your friends and/or family in Japan?  *


  1. Have you ever used the Internet to learn or teach Japanese? If so, please describe how.


  1. Do you visit Japanese Web sites? If so, please explain what you do when you visit these Web sites.


  1. Have you encountered a situation when you wanted to use the Internet in Japanese and you could not because of some obstacles? What were the obstacles?


  1. In your opinion, how do computers encourage or discourage the use of Japanese? Please give examples and explain.


  1. Would you agree that English is the language of the Internet?*
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Strongly agree   Strongly disagree


  1. Would you agree that It is worth knowing Japanese to be able to access the Japanese Internet?*
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Strongly agree   Strongly disagree


  1. Would you agree that Internet communication improves your relationships with your friends and/or family in Japan?*
      1 2 3 4 5  
    Strongly agree   Strongly disagree


  1. + Name (optional)
    + E-mail address (optional)

    Participants who provide their contact details will be informed about the results of the study via e-mail.


  1. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPORATION!
    Using the information you provided, we will endevour to contribute Japanese language maintenance in Melbourne.

    If you have any comments, please use the space below.