Donnerstag, 14. Januar 2021, 18:30 - 20:00 iCal

u:japan lectures - 10 - Asahi Yoshiyuki

Japanese in the age of Post-Standardization: Language trends in the 21st century

 

Our tenth virtual u:japan lecture this semester by Asahi Yoshiyuki explores how recent changes have impacted Japanese, touching on subjects such as de-standardization, new-honorifics, emojis or dialect cosplay as well as linguistic diversity in local administration.


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Online Event


Abstract

 

Language standardization was the most prominent linguistic Japanese phenomenon in the second half of the 20th century. It became widespread across the country, resulting in a linguistic landscape where Japanese speakers nowadays find it easier to communicate with those who live on the other side of the country. Around the turn of the century, we also witnessed the rise of new social network devices and services such as smartphones, e-mail, texting, and so forth, which have impacted our social and life and language. Another trend is the influx of non-native speakers especially into the large japanese cities, which has contributed to a multilingual and multicultural Japanese society. This talk will focus on how these changes have impacted Japanese, touching on subjects such as de-standardization, new-honorifics, emojis or dialect cosplay as well as linguistic diversity in local administration. I will bring in a sociolinguistic research perspective to explain the current situation, referencing research projects at the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics.

 

Bio

 

Yoshiyuki Asahi is Associate Professor of Sociolinguistics, Division of Language Variation, Department of Research at National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics. After completing his PhD in Japanese Linguistics at Osaka University, he has worked on language variation and change through dialect contact. He is the author of “Synchronic and diachronic variation in the use of spatial frames of reference: An analysis of Japanese route instruction” Journal of Sociolinguistics (with Kuniyoshi Kataoka) (vol. 19-2, pp.133-150, 2015), “Towards an integration of studies in honorifics and real-time language change studies”, The Japanese Journal of Language in Society, (with Kenjiro Matsuda) (Vol.11. no.1, pp.39-50, 2008), Saharin-ni Nokosareta Nihongo Karafuto Hogen [A Japanese dialect of Karafuto in Sakhalin Russia] (Meiji Shoin, 2012), Nyutaun Kotoba no Keisei-ni Kansuru Shakaigengogakuteki Kenkyu [A sociolinguistic study on the formation of a new town koine] (Hituzi Syobo, 2008), and the editor of Sociolinguistics illustrated (2nd edition) (Akiyama Shoten, 2010), and Handbook of Japanese Sociolinguistics (Mouton, in preparation, expected completion 2022). He also serves as an editorial board of Asia-Pacific Language Variation (John Benjamins) and International Journal of the Sociology of Language (De Gruyter).

Zur Webseite der Veranstaltung


Veranstalter

Institut für Ostasienwissenschaften/Japanologie und AAJ (Akademischer Arbeitskreis Japan)


Kontakt

Florian Purkarthofer
Department of East Asian Studies
Japanologie
+43-1-4277-43814
florian.purkarthofer@univie.ac.at