Draft for ICC presentation

Valentina orevi 3354

Introduction

For my presentation I have chosen the topic Language as a mirror of Japanese

culture. My thesis is that there is an inseparable relationship between language and culture,
which I will try to prove by explaining that on one hand language has a great influence on
cultural values and on the other hand cultural values have a great influence on language to Commented [L1]: Be careful: does language influence cultural
values or does it reflect cultural values? Much research point to the
prove this I will use the Hofstedes model that is, High and Low Context cultures, High and Low fact that its a two-way street: language reflects cultural values but
also has an impact on them
Power Distance and Individualism and Collectivism. My aim for this presentation is to show how
Commented [L2]: These on their own are not cultural
much connection there is between culture and language especially in everyday language. I did values. They are TYPES OF CULTURES depending on which values
they promote
my research in the book Communication Between Cultures written by Samovar, Porter and
McDaniel. I also researched this in some articles and parts from other books which I will include You need to mention that youre going to use Hofstedes model

at the end. Most of the examples are just from the dictionaries.

Body

Point 1. I am going to show you how language is reflected in high and low context
cultures like Japan. Japan is said to be a high-context culture and this is very obvious from their
language mainly because they have many words that have the same pronunciation but
different meaning-meaning that can only be understood from the context.

Their word kiku has two different meanings. One is to listen and the other is to ask.
(Samovar)
Another word has different meaning is muzukashii and it can mean difficult, delicate,
I do not want to discuss it and in business it means out of the question.
Hai in Japanese is translated with yes. However, it actually means that the other
person had heard you and is contemplating a reply. Yes that corresponds to the
Western yes is accompanied by sodesu (It is so) and soshimasu (I will do so).
(tanoshimu) could be translated easily by "enjoy oneself", but in many cases, Commented [L3]: The reader may wonder: so what? These
terms are said in this way, ok but how does that reveal that Jap
that sounds strange in English. We could also translate it by "having fun", "having a good culture is collectivistic, high-power distance andhigh context.

time", "appreciate"...
(ureshii) means to be glad, happy, delighted, joyful, overjoyed, cheerful,
pleased, contented, grateful, elated, jubilant, exultant, ecstatic, euphoric, enraptured
thrilled (to bits), over the moon, in 7th heaven, on cloud nine, floating on air, on top of
the world, tickled pink... it can also mean : It feels good, it's a great pleasure, it's heart-
warming... And it has yet another meaning : It's nice, fantastic, wonderful, marvelous,
sensational, first-class, top-notch, ace, magic...
(tsumaranai) -insignificant, small, worthless, trifling, unimportant, shallow,
superficial, trivial, petty, foolish, empty, frivolous... However, in the expression
"tsumranai mono desu ga,..." : This is a little something/small gift for you, it's not much,
but...
Verb sassuru has various meanings like imagine, suppose, empathize with or make
allowances for others.
 So, from all these examples we can conclude that the Japanese culture is a high context
culture because we cannon just a word without knowing the context when it is used. Many
people that are not from the Japanese culture have trouble understanding what they are
saying because they are not familiar with all the usages and different contexts of their
usage.

Point 2. When it comes to high and low power distance, Japan is a high-power distance
culture which means they respect their superiors and tend to be afraid of their bosses. Even
though this is difficult for us to understand, they really use these titles every day, not just in
some formal occasions. Power distance means that they respect hierarchy both within a family
and in their job, older children are both respected and feared and they have a teacher-centered
education, so this had to reflect in their language.

To company presidents, they will say Shacho san (Mr. President) or the first level
management they will address as Kacho san (Mr. Section Chief). This shows us that they pay
attention to the hierarchy and that they are very respective of their superiors. Even when they
talk to their family directly, they use formal terms Otosan (father) and Okasan (mother). For
them it is also important who is the eldest child and that is obvious from their language. Ani, for
example, is used to refer to ones older brother, and the younger brother is ototo. This is used
when they talk in third person. However, when they address their siblings directly they use a
more formal language-oniisan for older brother and onesan for older sister. So, hierarchy is not Commented [L4]: Again, so what? Why is this important? What
does that tell us? How do we know what it implies? As a person
only important in their job but also among their family members. (Samovar) who doesnt speak Japanese, I cannot figure out what the
importance of SAN and ONE and OTO is.
You need to explain how these are used
There are also Japanese suffix terms used with an individuals name. For example, last
name plus sensei is used to address their teacher and also doctor, last name plus sama used by
a junior to address someone much higher in status or a customer. Last name plus san is most
commonly used title to show respect.

Moreover, Kun (?) is used by people of senior status in addressing or

referring to those of junior status, or by anyone when addressing or referring to male children
or male teenagers, or among male friends. It can also be used by males or females when
addressing a male that they are emotionally attached to or have known for a long period of
time.

And Chan (?) is a diminutive suffix; it expresses that the speaker finds a person
endearing. In general, chan is used for babies, young children, grandparents and teenagers. It
may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends, any youthful woman, or between
friends. Using chan with a superior's name is considered to be condescending and rude.

Point 3. Whether a culture emphasizes individuals or social relations can also be examined
through the language they use. In the Japanese language, the word closest in meaning to
individualism (ge ren zhu yi) often caries a negative connotation and implies selfishness.The
Japanese will also use the word uchi (inside), commonly translated as home or family to refer
to their place of employment, which demonstrates the value placed on group relationships. On
the other hand, in the USA and even in Serbia we usually keep our job and home apart.
(Samovar)
 Collectivism/individualism has long been a central organizing principle in
Japanese/American cross-cultural research. Two proverbs, the Japanese The nail that sticks up Commented [L5]: Do you compare Jap vs Am cultures, or Jap vs
Chinese cultures, as you said above? Im confused now
gets hammered down that indicates how individualism is negatively viewed in Japanese
society and the American The squeaky wheel gets the grease, serve to contrast the two
cultures.

Japanese academic Takeo Doi (1973,1986) puts amae at the center of what he calls
Japanese groupism. Amae is the desire to depend on another. In adulthood, it manifests itself
ideally as mutual dependency. Doi connects amae to Japanese two-fold
consciousness(1986:157) through the concepts of tatemae and honne. In everyday speech,
tatemae is what one presents to the world, while honne is what is inside. For Doi, tatemae is a
product of socialization and hone a product of self-consciousness. He says, Just as honne exists
behind tatemae, the individual, in principle, exists in and under the group (1986:56). (The
Handbook of Intercultural Discourse and Communication, Christina Bratt Paulston, Scott F.,
p.256)

There are also some individual words that can show the collectivism of the Japanese
people. Wa means group harmony and harmony is a trait that the Japanese really value. Giri
means sense of duty to repay. As they are born in large families they always sense the need to
repay them somehow. Soto means an outsider, a member of an out-group. The Japanese value
groups and group work, so when someone does not belong to their group they call him soto.

Conclusion

Language and culture are deeply connected and cannot be separated. They influence
each other on many levels as presented earlier. I chose to represent that connection through
Hofstedes value dimensions concentrating on the Japanese language and examples from Commented [L6]: You didnt mention Hofstede in the intro

everyday speech. All of us as students of language need to be aware of this connection and also
incorporate this cultural part into our future classes as teachers. Commented [L7]: References?

References:

Communication Between Cultures written by Samovar, Porter and McDaniel

http://www.wa-pedia.com/language/japanese_words_multiple_english_translations.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics

The Handbook of Intercultural Discourse and Communication, Christina Bratt Paulston,

Scott F., p.256)