Multiple Perspectives on Social Identities in Japan : Language Variation and Change

Explores linguistic variation and social identities in Japan.

Offering a comprehensive exploration of linguistic variation and social identities in Japan, this book contributes to fostering cross-cultural understanding. It explores how language variation interacts with culture, affecting cultural transformation and transmission, with a specific emphasis on the Japanese language. Despite Japan’s common perception as a homogeneous society, it is essential to recognize sources of diversity, particularly with substantial Korean and Chinese minorities. This challenges the portrayal of monolithic collectivism within the framework of homogeneity. The eight chapters are organized around the overarching theme of social identities within Japanese culture and society. The first half concentrates on language varieties (regional and social dialects) and their relationship with identity. It explores how language is instrumental in constructing group membership, either by creating and embracing it or by resisting and altering group boundaries. This section covers both regional dialects, grounded in geography, and social dialects (sociolects), specific to sociocultural groups. The second half further analyzes identity, examining how identities align with sociolect categories such as gender, occupation, and ethnicity. These identities are fluid, multiple, and socioculturally constructed. Within the social constructionist paradigm, speakers use language to position themselves vis-à-vis their interlocutors. Despite historical influences emphasizing collectivism in East Asian cultures, this section questions the proposed dichotomy with Western societies, exploring its applicability to Japanese society.