Nationalism and Linguistic Purism in ContemporaryJapan: National Sentiment Expressed through Public Attitudes towards Foreignisms

Abstract

Linguistic purism is a term that refers to the urge to preserve a ‘desirable’ language form while eliminating ‘undesirable’ linguistic elements – a drive profoundly intertwined with nationalism. A particularly salient manifestation of this phenomenon is the controversy on the use of foreign loanwords. This article examines the contrasting expressions and metaphors used to describe the national language and foreignisms found in newspaper articles published in contemporary Japan and argues that the growing tendency to discuss national language in contrast to foreignisms can be understood as a particular manifestation of ongoing (re)negotiation of national identity. Criticisms and praises of the use of loanwords are found to be grounded upon a desire to establish specific understandings of Japaneseness in reference to the otherness felt within a society that is symbolized by loanwords, constructing an ‘internal Other’ to a Japanese ‘Self’, the identity of which is neither autonomous nor clearly delineated.

Katakana and Japanese National Identity. The Use of Katakana for Japanese Names and Expressions

“…At the same time, however, the increasing use of such katakanago has been highly controversial with many claiming that it is a sign of the impoverishment of the Japanese vocabulary. Such critical views on katakanago are considered to stem from the fear of losing Japaneseness (Hosokawa 2015), as the increase in loanwords is seen as the representation of increased foreign influence threatening the Japanese national identity. This has resulted in the psychological demarcation between kanji (along with hiragana) as Japanese and katakana as foreign (Loveday 1996: 48), despite the fact that all the three script types combine to create the Japanese orthographic system.…”