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Part of
Pragmatics of Japanese: Perspectives on grammar, interaction and culture
Edited by Mutsuko Endo Hudson, Yoshiko Matsumoto and Junko Mori
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 285] 2018
► pp. 267–288

Chapter 11
Linguistic nationalism and fictional deception

Metapragmatic stereotype of non-Japanese in Japan

| Macalester College

In Japan many subscribe to linguistic nationalism expressed in propriety terms: only the ethnically Japanese possess the Japanese language and can speak it competently. This means, conversely, a metapragmatic stereotype regarding non-Japanese exists: non-Japanese cannot speak the language perfectly. While many representations of non-Japanese characters in fiction reflect this stereotype, this chapter analyzes a novel in which the author deliberately exploits the stereotype for dramatic effect. He has a non-Japanese character speak in a casual, natural, and gendered manner, and successfully deceives readers into believing the character is Japanese. When the true identity of the character is revealed, it comes as a complete surprise. The surprise serves as a wake-up call for readers to reflect on their sense of exclusivity.

Keywords: cultural nationalism, Japanese, language ideologies, linguistic nationalism, media representation, metapragmatic stereotype, non-Japanese, pragmatics
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Linguistic nationalism in Japan
  • 3.Recent scholarship that alludes to linguistic nationalism in Japan
  • 4.Metapragmatic stereotype of non-Japanese and linguistic nationalism
  • 5. Critical novelist with an awareness
  • 6.Concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 16 April 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.285.11suz
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