Download PDF

Shoma Aota, Saki Kishimoto, and Masato Sato

July, 2017

Abstract

Recently, English language is considered as the global main language in East Asian Countries. Most developing countries are unavoidably emphasizing English to raise foreign capital for development. According to Clayton (2008), majority of students choose English within choices of English or French. Moreover, the importance of English for economic success has been emphasized in certain studies conducted in Cambodia (e.g., Morrow, 2010). However, these studies lacked consideration for the diversity of local linguistic ecology. The present study critically considers these research by investigating the role of learning foreign languages other than English under the special ecology. The current research was conducted in Siem Reap, which is a famous tourist destination. The authors interviewed with nine university students learning Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Results indicated that participants were motivated to learn these languages for cultural and rather personal reasons. Moreover, intrinsic value of language and cultures of those language speaking countries were identified as triggers of participants’ interests in those languages, which suggested that the purpose of language learning in the area is determined not only by economic success but also by intercultural exchanges. It is concluded that learning diverse languages has a significant meaning to develop new attitudes toward English.