EELC 4 (2012) University of Copenhagen Poster presentation 'Amae and the dynamics of adult-child communication in South Asian community classroom in Tokyo suburbs' Rika Yamashita Amae and the dynamics of adult-child communication in South Asian community classroom in Tokyo suburbs Rika Yamashita (University of Tokyo/Japan Society for Promotion of Science) rikayam111@gmail.com Poster presented at EELC 4 (University of Copenhagen, September 2012) Brief introduction: How do migrant children and adults construct social relations with each other through languages? This paper studies an aspect of adult-child relationship in a complementary school in Japan, which has not so far been discussed in complementary school studies in the UK (Blackledge, Creese et al 2008, etc), namely amae, or the indulgent dependence displayed by the children. Studies of migrants' codeswitching either used CA on its own (Auer 1989, Li & Milroy 1995), or used intercultural communication paradigm (Zhu 2008). Theoretically, neither involve critical insights into social relations constructed. Research in these schools tend to see adults and children as two opposing parties, rather than two parties which are co-committant to their ascribed social roles as giver and receiver of care and nurturing. The interdisciplinarity and the bottom-up approach of linguistic ethnography make sociolinguistic studies flexible to incorporate psychoanalytic/cultural term which are not yet studied enough from sociolinguistic and pragmatic points of view. Amae - what is it? As a psychoanalytic/cultural term Doi, a psychoanalyst who became famous for introducing this term in the Western world, terms amae as 'seeking the other's "indulgence" (Doi 1973). The prototype of amae is dependence in mother-infant relationship, where the infant intuitively seeks the mother's nurturing affection (ibid). Amaeis considered an essential part in the bonding between the mother and the child. This indulgent and dependent relationship is metaphorically projected on other types of relationships, not only for other child-caretaker relations, but even in romantic relationships of adults and corporate structure as well. 1
EELC 4 (2012) University of Copenhagen Poster presentation 'Amae and the dynamics of adult-child communication in South Asian community classroom in Tokyo suburbs' Rika Yamashita As a folk term In Japanese, people are said to be doing amae when they are linguistically or non-linguistically pretending or performing as a dependent towards the hearer, seeking for some help or affection. Amae utterances are often associated with high pitched and/or lengthened vowels, and softer tones of voice, babyish pronunciation. They are associated with children, sometimes adult women, and less frequently, men. Some ethnographic background of the mosque complementary school Mrs. B, the English teacher at G mosque complementary school The teachers at the complementary school are not just a subject teacher. They are part of the community just like any other mother or father of the children at other events at the mosque, and at the same time, are the responsible adults at the complementary school who supervise children after day school. Mrs. B, who appears in this data, also comes to regular mosque events where South Asian women gather. At weekends she may be invited to other