K.Y.: A Step Towards Intercultural Competence.
Orla Rylands
Abstract
Amply equipped with the skills they have learned in the classroom, students arrive in the countryof their target language.

Linguistically, they navigate their new world smoothly.

Socially

however, they feel inept and excluded from their peer group. In a word, they are unable to "read theatmosphere"（"K.Y."）. These anxieties begin to abate as they slowly unravel the implicit cultural
codes of their friends.

Therefore, can we consider K.Y. to be an obligatory stepping-stone from merelinguistic competence to complete intercultural understanding?
Is it absolutely necessary for language students to travel to an English speaking country in orderto understand and savour this atmosphere?

Gathering the collective imagination of the students

we vicariously 'travelled' to different parts of Ireland to participate in realistic cultural activities.
Perplexed（K.Y.）by these globally simulated situations
both emotionally and intellectually.

the students were required to participate

They discovered that they could "read the atmosphere", pinpoint

the cultural conundrum and find a solution.
key words:K.Y., Intercultural Competence, Implicit Cultural Codes, Ireland, Global Simulation.

"They shout and fight all the time", myon paper and she could rattle off vocabulary

daughter's panic stricken voice echoed downwith the speed of summer lightening but

the phone line.

It was September and Erin,K.Y. was causing her to doubt her decision toan Italian major, had just arrived in Italy

fulfill her dream and spend a year studying

to spend a year in the land of her chosen

in Italy.

language. In measured tones, we, her equallyhad touched our 14 year old as she played thepanic-stricken parents advised her to 'stick

trumpet in her school Brass Band.

it out' until Christmas!

to watch Italian old films and devoured pasta

Thankfully, even

The romance of Puccini's Tosca
She loved

before 'Jingle Bells' and 'Silent Night' hadin all shapes and sauces.

invaded the airwaves, she called again toto choose a language to study at University,

thank us for sending her to the 'best place

Italian was an obvious choice.

on earth'.

she was, stranded in Bologna, unable to findBologna is indeed a gracious andWhen it came timeNow, here

welcoming city but the 'best place on earth'the Italy of her dreams.

The delicious taste

she had yet to prove! What had happened inof pasta had kept its promise but Tosca

the space of 2 months?

seemed to scream and the fun of Fellini films
was nowhere to be found.

Simply put, she had been a victim of K.Y.
Italian style!
山梨県立大学

K.Y. was indeed

hovering overhead.

Her language skills looked good
国際政策学部

総合政策学科

Department of Glocal Policy Administration, Faculty of Glocal Policy Management and Communications,
Yamanashi Prefectural University― 93 ―

山梨国際研究山梨県立大学国際政策学部紀要

No.10（2015）"K.Y", an abbreviation of the Japanesethe shouting and gesticulation that Erin

expression "Kuuki ga Yomenai Hito" refers

had witnessed from a Japanese perspective

to a person who has misunderstood anconveyed anger and discontent, emotions

implicit understanding within his or her peer

not openly displayed in Japan.

group.

a loss about how to deal with them.

Loosely translated into English,

She was atThe

it refers to someone who is unable to 'readland of her dreams was proving to be a

the atmosphere' around them.

minefield requiring stealth and caution toWe may

all know and recognize that hapless person

navigate.

who systematically misreads people andlearn to 'read the atmosphere' in Bologna?

their needs.

A certain Mr. Tanaka is a good

example of a K.Y. person, a Japanese friend
told me.

Could this innocent K.Y. victim

Weeks passed, filled with classes and days

She explained that with University

flying by, often ending in lively dinners withlectures winding down and Mr. Tanaka's

her Italian flatmates. More than any textbook

classmates' thoughts drifting towards lunch,or Professor's class, these evenings of cooking

he would regularly ask detailed questions

and eating together taught her how to 'read

requiring long answers from the Professor andthe atmosphere'.

earning him frustrated glances from his fellow

poet and essayist Emerson's quotation camestudents!

to mind, "I pay the schoolmaster, but it isHowever, this same Mr. Tanaka,

The 19 th century American

the Chemist went on to win a Nobel Prize inthe other boys who educate my son".

What2002.

Erin had experienced, as angry shouting
and fighting, had slowly morphed intoK.Y. is not just a Japanese sensibility but anaffectionate, excited and often humorous

intangible concept that can be transplanted toenthusiasm to discuss any subject under the

any culture. The brilliant and very talkativesun.

Irish novelist and storyteller Maeve Binchy

opinions are shared with varying degrees oftells how, while living in London in the 1970's,intensity.

she regularly inflicted her brand of K.Y. on

were replaced by admiration and a desire to

surprised Londoners while queuing for aemulate the people around her.

bus .

began to relax and fall in love with Italy.

Irish people tend to have a great view,

In Italy, conversation is constant and
Erin's early fears fell away and
Finally she

however wrong, on a great many subjects, anda silent Dublin bus queue is such a rarity that

Erin's year abroad happily ended with awhen Maeve briefly moved to London andnewfound culture, language and desire tocommuted by bus, she would try to engage

learn more.

her fellow bus queuers in conversation. They

as an English teacher to Japanese learners ofwould look askance as she announced toEnglish.

them "The number 10 bus has just left whichof these enthusiastic students of English maymeans that the number 15 will be here shortly,

never enjoy a similar experience. Family ties,

don't you think so?"

They would movefinancial worries, age or travel anxiety may

quickly away, perhaps thinking she might

hinder students from venturing abroad towant to invite herself into their homes forstudy.

dinner! Maeve's K.Y. was at work. Similarly,

will continue to attend English classes, films― 94 ―

This led me to question my job

It saddened me to realize that many

These lovers of the English language

K.Y.: A Step Towards Intercultural Competence.

and whenever possible participate in English

a warm welcome for a stranger.

conferences.

to give the students a sense of this particular

Their knowledge of English

grammar and vocabulary will surely expand
way beyond mine.

So I hoped

Ireland.

Our conversations will bepolite and formal but they may never relax

These students, with varying experiencesinto a 'High Five' situation, unless, the classof foreign travel were all longtime learners

hypothetically, boarded a plane and flew toof English, and the first class on Ireland

Ireland, or any other country to which they

began with a 'baptism' giving them a new

can vicariously travel.

identity.

They may experience

With a map of Ireland clearlya K.Y. situation and through it, learn to 'readshowing each student's 'new hometown',

the atmosphere' and gain an insight into thethey received Irish names and new

culture of their target language.

occupations.

Armed

The premise of the course waswith permission from a local college, I set upthat we had all previously 'met and bonded'a 10-week course aimed at giving Japanese

at an International Conference in Indonesia

students of English a chance to savour a taste

entitled 'Sustainable Farming'.

of Ireland and it's unique atmosphere.

from the four corners of Ireland, we all flew
back to Dublin together.

Hailing

However, ourAmerica, England or Australia, countries

return flight had been problematic and theabout which they have a daily influx of news

airline had generously compensated us formay have been a more culturally accessible

the inconvenience caused.

choice for my adult Japanese students.

Right

continue our friendship, we decided to use

or wrong, American culture has bestowed

this unexpected financial windfall from theon Japanese students of English, Jazz, aairline, to travel each week to a different partconcept of a country percolating withof Ireland visiting and learning about eachtolerance and acceptance, and wide-openother's county.

spaces in which to feel free.

was a 'Chef' in Kinsale, county Cork, theBy comparison,

Wishing toOne student 'John O'Brien'

tiny England's traditions, funny food andgourmet paradise of Ireland.

ideal accent continue to delight them.

restaurant 'The Vintage' we learned to makeTheHere, at John's

beautiful flora and fauna of Australia attract

reservations and order from a menu.

Japanese honeymooners yearly.

was off to see

TheyThen it'Maggie Ryan' a 'Tour Guide'can refer to the shock of tasting Marmite

at Lissadel House in county Sligo where wefor the first time and replying to an Aussie

made hotel reservations and learned how to'goodye'.

check into a hotel.

land.

However, these lands are not myMaggie showed us of theI have yet to meet a Japanese person

beauties of Yeats-country and we listened towho has honeymooned in Ireland or who hasa Yeats poem while visiting the titular "Lakegone in search of the rare Alpine plants on theIsle of Inishfree', the poems inspiration.

rocky moonscape of County Clare in the west

the course of 10 weeks we traveled the lengthof Ireland.

and breadth of Ireland visiting each other's

Nonetheless, I have met a handfulof Japanese people who have come to IrelandOver

home counties.

to learn music or enjoy the safety of a country
imbued with the sense that there should be― 95 ―

At our seventh class, a surprising thing山梨国際研究山梨県立大学国際政策学部紀要

No.10（2015）

happened.

It seemed that the class had truly

class was only 90 minutes or I might haveleft Kofu, had transplanted to Ireland andhad to organize a protest delegation to thewas fluently 'reading the atmosphere'.

Irish embassy!

This

After the class 'Maureen'

day's grammar point was time and distanceactually did ask me for the name of thequestions :Irish Ambassador.

'How long does it take to go

to Kerry from Dublin?'from Donegal?

I don't know if she everHow far is Belfast

contacted him but I was impressed by her

We practiced a variety ofenthusiasm and desire to see beyond thesituations before 'visiting' the Hill of Taraclassroom.

in County Meath where the racing-horse
trainer 'Maureen McNamara' explained theproblem her county was facing.

The Irish

It would be wonderful to say that this had
happened every year, but it didn't, at least not

government, worried about an increase inin quite the same way.

traffic on the Dublin Belfast road wanted

to slip into her role and forget the dull grey

to build a spanking new Motorway.

The

classroom was rare and her infectious energy

problem lay in the fact that the road would go

encouraged the other students to try on theirthrough the 'Hill Of Tara'.

roles for size.

Steeped in ancient'Maureen's' ability

Nevertheless, students from

history, the site of the High Kings of Ireland,

other years continue to meet and some have

Tara also a contained a 2000 year old passage-

travelled to Ireland.

S ix members evenstarted a music group.

Strangely enoughtomb.

Closer to home, in Japan, Tara waseven more famous as a character in a novel

they chose a French name for their groupand film.

and although I did wonder why they hadn't

For anyone who has read Margaret

Mitchell's novel or seen the film 'Gone withchosen an Irish name, I didn't ask.

the Wind', they will remember that 'Tara' was

Ireland has always been a nation of emigrants

the name of the Atlanta house in which theand perhaps this little group of students hadheroine Scarlett O'Hara was born.

decided to 'visit' France for a while!

GeraldAfter all,Happily,O'Hara, her father had left his Irish home near

they return to my class every year to spend 10

the Hill of Tara to escape the wrath of theweeks 'reading the atmosphere' of Ireland.

local British constabulary.

He travelled toAmerica where he built his stately home on
his cotton plantation and called it Tara.

Language learners abroad face many
daunting days.

We are reduced to a feelingof babyhood as we struggle to care for our'Maureen' from Tara, emotionally declaredmost basic needs.

Buying a stamp or tryingthat this proposed Motorway must not be

to read the label on the milk carton may

built and the class should organize a protest

require as much preparation as writing an

against it.

essay.

The other students agreed and set

We may find ourselves sitting on aabout writing a questionnaire to elicit people's

bus going in the wrong direction or eating

opinions on the proposed Motorway.

prosciutto instead of drinking the prosecco

The

class turned into a lively discussion onwine that we tried to order.

what could be done to stop the road being

noisier and more colorful than it ever was atconstructed.

home.

Students rememberedsimilar situations in Japan.

Luckily theLife flashes by,

Until one day, we are happily joining

in the banter at a Dublin bus stop.

― 96 ―

We findK.Y.: A Step Towards Intercultural Competence.

ourselves gracefully bowing to a neighbour
on a Tokyo street.

Failte' - a Hundred Thousand Welcomes!

We discover that we canexpertly catch the waiter's eye at an early

References

morning Parisian café and order 'un express

1 ）"Global Simulations" in MIIS wiki（http://et deux croissants s'il vous plait'.

mediawiki.middlebury.edu/wiki/MIIS/Global_

AfterSimulations）. Three key components of a Global

years of hard study at home and the recent

Simulation numerated in this article are 1）reality

weeks of nervous decisions over word choices,of function - students suspend their disbelief andwe suddenly realize that we can 'read theact as though the simulation was real, 2）simulated

atmosphere'.

This is the moment when theenvironment - students function realistically,

frenetic pace of life slows down and we canbut in an unreal environment and 3）structure- students have a series of tasks that become

begin to enjoy our chosen language and theculture that envelops it.

increasingly demanding2 ）Maeve Binchy, "Love of Ireland", interview
consulted on Youtube（https://www.youtube.

We can of course, learn a language while
sitting at a desk. We will learn the grammar
and perfect our accent with the help of alanguage lab.

Our comprehension will becomplete with the aid of online listening
exercises.

For some people, this may be all

they need, but it's a pity.

They will neverdiscover that the noisy and excitable Italians
can wait patiently for an hour for a train that
may never come.

They will never witness

the elegant and slightly arrogant Parisian lady
melting at the sight of a baby in its pram.

Or

listen to the Irish supermarket cashier asking
her unknown customer for advice on how to
ask her boss for her summer holidays.

We

learn so much when our stereotypes prove
to be false.

Thankfully, after a year, Erin

returned safely to Japan but she continuesto harbor a deep longing to return to Italy
with it's romance and excitement, to discoveranswers to the secrets which Italian culture isstill hiding from her!

So take your language

skills abroad, experience cultural empathy
and see how long it takes you to 'read theatmosphere'.

If you can't do that, try thenext best thing - a 10-week course vicariously'visiting' Ireland or any country you like.

Ifyou choose Ireland you will receive 'Cead Mile
― 97 ―

com/watch?v=dDTcq3i0uWI）