Impact of Globalization on Japanese Language and Culture

Impact of Globalization on Japanese Language and Culture Crossroads in Cultural Studies 2002 Norio Ota York University

Impact on Culture and Society l l l l l Judicial system reform Empowerment, accountability, informed consent Psychological analysis: ‘healing’, ‘co-dependency’ Aging, fixed contribution pension, portability of pension and tax reform Japan as a multi-cultural and multi-racial nation Impact on education Later marriage, fewer children and divorce Political correctness Restructuring, salary reduction, unemployment and homeless Asian Free Trade Zone – China, Korea and ASEAN ?

Impact on Language Sociolinguistic and pragmatic changes l l l Confrontational and aggressive approach From agreement-seeking to agreement-demanding Other changes in communication strategies: more – – Direct, Assertive Argumentative, Provocative, Challenging, Competitive Egalitarian [gender equal, rank equal] Self-righteous, Non-apologetic

Impact on Language New usage in idiomaticity l l l iken o suri-awaseru ‘rub opinions together’ mongon ‘statement’ hanzai ga okonawareta ‘a crime was committed’ denchuu to gekitotsu ‘crash with an electric pole (lit. )’ boosoo-zoku ga tsudou chuusha-joo ‘a parking lot where mortorcycle gangs get together’ l shashin o totta mikka-mae ni Osore-san ni itta. ‘He went to Mt. Osore three days before the photo was taken. l saikin toku ni ninki ni natte ‘it has become popular recently’

Impact on Language Loan words l l l l fuurigan-taisaku seegi no hiiroo ‘champion koosoku-dooro-dai-kurasshu honne-tooku riiku-suru happii-raifu akushidento doggu-fuudo bureeku-suru ‘(anti-)hooligan measures (hero) of justice’ ‘a big crash on a freeway’ ‘heart-to-heart talk’ ‘to leak’ ‘happy life’ ‘accident’ ‘dog food’ ‘to get a break’ rajio reidio enerugii enajii hoomuresu reipu sutoriito-chirudoren ‘radio’ ‘energy’ ‘homeless’ ‘rape’ ‘street children’

Japan as an agent of globalization l l East Asia and Southeast Asia: ‘Doraemon’ , ‘Hello Kitty’, ‘Tare-Panda’, ‘Pokemon’ North America and West: ‘Sailor Moon’ , ‘Pokemon’, ‘Nomo, ‘Ichiro’

References l l l 岩淵功一 ｢グローバリゼーションの中の日本文化の匂い｣ 世界 1998年 4月号 69－81 岩波書店 Iwabuchi, Koichi (2001) “Japan, Globalization, and Cultural Imperialism”, paper presented at ICAS 2 Conference, Berlin. Leung, Lisa (2001) “Gendering Transnationalism: Cultural politics of intra-East Asian media consumption, paper presented at ICAS 2 Conference, Berlin. Ota, Norio (1995) 'Cross-Cultural Communication through Japanese: Communicating with Japan through high school education', in D. J. Dicks (ed. ) Communicating with Japan: Images Past, Present and Future - An Interdisciplinary Anthology, Montreal: Concordia University, 1995, 108 -130. _____ (1999) ‘Culture in Language Context’, JSAC web publication, 12 th Annual Conference of the Japan Studies Association of Canada, Mc. Gill University, Montreal. _____ (2000) ‘Coping with sociolinguistic and pragmatic changes in TJFL’, 13 th Annual Conference of the Japan Studies Association of Canada, University of British Columbia. 山脇啓造・近藤敦・柏崎千佳子「多民族国家・日本の構想」世界 2001年７月号 141－160　 岩波書店