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Part of
A Language Management Approach to Language Problems: Integrating macro and micro dimensions
Edited by Goro Christoph Kimura and Lisa Fairbrother
[Studies in World Language Problems 7] 2020
► pp. 217–236

Chapter 11
Language management in life story interviews

The case of first generation Zainichi Korean women in Japan

| Aoyama Gakuin University

This research analyzes interactions in life story interviews with first generation Zainichi Koreans, specifically when they noticed perception gaps in the interviewer’s questions and tried to negotiate those gaps. It was found that the interviewees used two contrastive strategies: one described her perceptions using a monological storytelling manner and the other responded to the questions in an interactive mode. In the interactive mode particularly, interviewees can see whether their previous language management worked or not, which affects their motivation to talk. Applying Language Management Theory in narrative studies (i.e., micro-level analysis) provides two macro-level contributions. One is gaining a holistic understanding of the speaker. The other is a contribution to the methodology of life story interviews, by including LMT analysis between the first interview session and the second interview session.

Keywords: Zainichi Koreans, life story interviews, sociocultural perceptions, interview methods
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The historical context
  • 3.Methodology
  • 4.Data analysis
  • 5.The benefits of micro-level analysis to macro-level understandings
    • 5.1Identifying sociocultural perceptional gaps concerning marriage
    • 5.2Identifying what storytellers do in terms of language management
    • 5.3Benefits of micro-level analysis
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 20 May 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/wlp.7.11sar
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