Page 59 - Silence in Intercultural Communication

46 Silence in Intercultural Communication

ten model paragraphs by the teacher as a handout, and some of the students’ writ-
ing, without the names of the writer, was read aloud by the teacher to the class.
The responses to this task and the activities which followed could be de-
scribed as ‘pseudo-spoken through writing’. Firstly, the students’ own words
communicated through their writing were read aloud to the class by the teacher.
Secondly, these ten paragraphs seemed unexpectedly articulate, personal and ex-
pressive compared to what is produced in the spoken mode of communication in
the classroom. For example:
(4) [A sample of writing by a student in Fuji High School (my translation)]

Although this is her favourite spot, it hangs heavy in her mind when she thinks
about the reality. She would not take a step into the room as it represents her
troubled mind itself. This scene has a very impressive expression, but it does
not work to use these beautiful expressions because it simply shows the fact
that Toyotaroo is so weak and hopeless that he makes the situation more and
more difficult himself. After all, I think it comes to the vulnerable heart of
Toyotaroo. As I am a vulnerable person myself, I get irritated when I read this
part. I feel, “This hopeless man!”

Thus, in this example, ‘heavy’ communicative tasks are done through writing,
with the teacher as a mediator who takes the burden of the spoken mode of com-
munication in the classroom, avoiding the risk for students of losing face or of
being regarded as lacking modesty. However, an over emphasis on writing and
reading skills at the expense of spoken language skills has also been criticised,
for example by Yamamoto (1997), who says that education in spoken language
has been devalued in Japan since there is a concern that “[Students] cannot read
4
or write any more, though they became talkative” (p. 59, my translation). Such
privileging of written mode has implications for the academic success of Japanese
students who study at Australian universities which attach more value to speaking
skills (cf. Kato 2001; Marriott 2000; Milner & Quilty 1996; Yamamoto 1997).

4. The holistic development of four communication skills was encouraged in Japan first dur-
ing the Meiji restoration in 1868, and then under the occupation of the American military after
the World War II. Yamamoto (1997) also argues that training in oral communication is almost
non-existent in Japan while it is systematically taught throughout school years in Australia.
Yamamoto’s own ‘Communication Skills’ class at a college attracted a large number of students,
which appears to indicate unmet needs for education in speaking skills in Japan.