When Does English Become “My” Language?

Although much of the world’s English-speaking population is made up of so-called non-native speakers, many learners of English as a foreign language (EFL), particularly those from Japan, nevertheless consider their variety of English in a negative light and believe that English does not belong to them. However, little academic discussion has occurred regarding the process through which such learners develop their perceptions about English. This study qualitatively investigated how individual learners transform their attitudes concerning English language ownership over time and across contexts. One Japanese male university student and one Japanese female junior college student participated in a semi-structured interview, and data were analysed through the lens of language ownership. The findings revealed that learning English in an Inner Circle context did not necessarily provide EFL learners with a greater sense of ownership of English, nor did living in an Expanding Circle context necessarily restrict it. This study highlights the importance of accepting different varieties of English as legitimate and encouraging learners to embrace their own language variety in order to increase their confidence in using English. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the complex relationship between language ownership and language learning in EFL contexts.