THE NOTION OF ‘WEST’ IN CONTEMPORAY JAPAN: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE
THE NOTION OF ‘WEST’ IN CONTEMPORAY JAPAN: A SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Author(s): NAOKO HOSOKAWASubject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: EDITURA ASE
Keywords: Japan; language; sociolinguistics; identity; media discourse; East; West;
Summary/Abstract: The concept of an East-West division has been one of the common tools to describe the world. Yet, the definition of the division is highly context-bound and never fixed. This paper will examine how the notion of the East-West division is understood and expressed from a sociolinguistic perspective. Using the case study of the discussion on ‘Western’ loanwords, the paper will suggest that the notion of ‘West’ is an integral part of Japanese linguistic and national identity, as it plays a key contrapuntal role in Japan’s self-image.
Journal: Synergy
- Issue Year: 14/2018
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 46-58
- Page Count: 13
- Language: English