ABSTRACT
In recent years, there has been a multilingual turn in applied linguistic research that recognises classrooms’ increasing linguistic diversity and multilingual users’ integrated linguistic repertoires. Despite this growing awareness, Japanese education tends to emphasise mastery of L2 English form, which can contribute to speaking reticence among many learners. Research into Japanese people who study abroad and learn English and languages other than English can reveal different attitudes towards speaking out. This chapter examines Japanese English majors’ perceived capacity to speak in L2 English and L3 European languages before, during, and after a year-long dual-language study abroad programme in France and Germany. The study focused on two participants who had significantly improved their speaking proficiency, outperforming peers in English-speaking countries on pre- and post-sojourn speaking tests. They wrote monthly reflective journals and created retrospective timeline graphs to indicate fluctuations in their perceived capacity to speak. Using a qualitative longitudinal approach, the researchers analysed the narratives of these two participants. Both showed introspective and introverted tendencies that aided their linguistic success in English while studying abroad, but contributed to emotional distress, challenging their ability to maintain two languages after their sojourns.
