At Covenant Christian School, we believe that language is a gift from God and by learning Japanese, students will understand the diversity of God’s people. They will be able to share their faith and offer hospitality to others because of their understanding of the language and culture.
Japanese is the official language of Japan, one of Australia’s northern neighbours in the Asia region. There are also large Japanese-speaking communities in Hawaii, Peru and Brazil. Australia has a significant number of Japanese national residents including on the northern beaches. Japan has been a close strategic and economic partner of Australia for more than 50 years, and there is ongoing exchange between the two countries in the areas of education, trade, diplomacy and tourism.
The study of Japanese provides access to the language and culture of one of the world’s most technologically advanced societies and economies. Students engage with elements of modern Japan, including popular culture such as anime, manga, music and fashion, as well as with the rich cultural tradition of this part of Asia. Students develop an appreciation for the place of Australia within the Asia region, including the interconnections of languages and cultures, peoples and communities, histories and economies.
The ability to communicate in Japanese provides incentives for travel and for more meaningful interactions with speakers of Japanese, encouraging socio-cultural understanding between Australia and Japan, and cohesion within the Australian community. It also provides opportunities for students to gain insights into the contributions that have been made by Japanese-speaking communities both to Australian, and the global, society.
Students use language for communicative purposes by:
- interacting – exchanging information, ideas and opinions, and socialising, planning and negotiating
- accessing and responding – obtaining, processing and responding to information through a range of spoken, written, digital and/or multimodal texts
- composing – creating spoken, written, bilingual, digital and/or multimodal texts.
Students analyse and understand language and culture by:
- systems of language – understanding the language system including sound, writing, grammar and text structure; and how language changes over time and place
- the role of language and culture – understanding and reflecting on the role of language and culture in the exchange of meaning and considering how interaction shapes communication and identity.
For Japanese background speakers, this valuable learning experience is enhanced by the opportunity to maintain and develop their Japanese language skills and understanding of their cultural heritage.
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