Reality on a Stick

First things first. Several months ago, I was asked (by one of RoaS’s regular readers and a long time friend) to give my thoughts on the issue of garaigo, or loanwords, in Japanese and whether their rapid influx into the language is indeed undermining communication and causing mass concern.

My answer is: yes and no, but mostly no.

Why “Yes?”

It’s a fact of the matter that almost every Japanese citizen worries that their language and culture are being diluted over time. The concern is justified, but only in the trivially true sense that dates back to the Meiji Restoration, when Japan opened its borders to world travel, trade and influence. Even before the end of sakoku (seclusion), Japan flourished with trade from abroad, but from limited sources and with very little direct contact between foreigners and Japanese lay folk. When the 200+ year policy of maritime restrictions were lifted, there was no question that the country risked compromising its rich, relatively self-contained culture–including its language–but the trade-off seemed worth the risk to most. After all, the world outside the Japanese archipelago was developing rapidly and it would have been difficult to argue against the benefits of shared knowledge and resources, especially given steam engine technology and vast military power emerging in other parts of the world.

Thus, I would argue that the slow erosion of traditional modes of communication we see today, and the accompanying concern, are the direct result of policy decisions made 130+ years ago to embrace (or accept anyway) foreign influence.

Why “No?”

Languages are, by nature, in a constant state of flux. Rules are only more or less observed according to convention and convenience of the speakers/writers of a given language. New words are born everyday, and old words die out. Grammatical rules we once thought sacred are easily replaced by crude variations as determined by the user tendencies.

Loanwords are no exception, and there is not much to be gained by disapproving of them. Newly integrated loanwords will stick where they are convenient and do the job of painting the desired picture. Otherwise, they join the vernacular for only a select few who find them useful. Not much cause for concern there.

Predictability……

Language has a steady history of getting dumbed down to the lowest common denominator in any given group, so the prospect of Japanese people becoming largely unable to communicate with one another seems highly unlikely. If communication skills such as circumlocution (rephrasing) are lacking, it’s certainly not a garaigo problem, as the goal of rephrasing is to explain a term or concept in simple terms that can be understood by the listener/reader, with the added effect of proliferating understanding of new vocabulary, garaigo or not.

People use words unknown to their interlocutors–intentionally or otherwise–all the time. Communication breakdowns occur only when the speaker is communicating over the listener’s head, or the listener is too embarrassed, or can’t be bothered, to ask for clarification.

Gotta run.

Here’s the original article.

To Jason: Thanks for the tip, and sorry for the very long delay.