buho wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2025 2:45 pm
do you use english words heavily to the point you forget equivalent words in your own language?
Among Japan's so-called celebrities on TV show, there are people who talk like this.
レストランのブッキングをアレンジしてくれたコンシェルジュのおかげで、ファビュラスなディナーをエンジョイできました。(Resutoran[restaurant] no bukkingu[booking] wo arenji[arrange] shite kureta Konsherujyu[concierge] no okage de, fabyurasu[fabulous] na dinaa[dinner] wo enjyoi[enjoy] dekimashita.):Thanks to the concierge who arranged the restaurant booking, I was able to enjoy a fabulous dinner.
What do you find in this?? Even if we concede the word 'レストラン/Resutoran[restaurant],' can't we express the other words without using loanwords? Of course, we can!
The increase of loanwords is an important phenomenon in Japanese, reflecting the transformation of language and cultural influences. Historically, the Japanese language has borrowed a considerable amount of vocabulary from Chinese and created unique neologisms based on it. This process was made possible due to a deep understanding of Chinese characters, leading to many new Japanese-made terms being accepted in China as well. However, after World War II, Japan as a whole became strongly influenced by Western culture, particularly that of the United States, and began to incorporate many English words.
This situation presents several problems. First, when English words are adopted into Japanese, they are often accepted without understanding their original morphemes or structures. As a result, not only is the original meaning and nuance of the words lost, but desirable meanings may also be added, leading to the so-called "coolness" taking on a life of its own. For those with a high level of proficiency in their native Japanese, this phenomenon can feel unbearable. There have even been lawsuits against NHK, a semi-governmental broadcasting station in Japan, regarding this issue, but it seems to attract little widespread concern.
Furthermore, in recent years, it seems that English words have not been able to sufficiently meet their desire for sophistication, leading to an increase in the use of French words instead. Amid a demand for clarity in language, there is a trend to emphasize 'coolness.' For example, many people feel that expressing "管理人 (kan'ri'nin) -which means 'Condo/apartment manager'- in Japanese is less appealing than using the French term "コンシェルジュ(Kon'sherujyu) from 'concierge', as it conveys a sense of specialness and sophistication. In the central part of Tokyo, there are numerous skyscrapers where referring to the staff as 'Kon'sherujyu' has become commonplace. (They are Japanese and don't seem to speak French, but by being called "Kon'sherujyu," it seems they can spread a sophisticated whiff of Paris in Tokyo's skyscrapers. Could this elevate the real estate value? And does calling them "管理人 (kan'ri'nin)" in Japanese lower the value? Or could it help boost their motivation at work? If I refer to them in Japanese as '管理人さん (Kan'rinin-san)' as we used to, would they feel looked down upon?) This phenomenon raises the question for me as to why expressions in Japanese are considered "uncool." Ultimately, it may be a phenomenon similar to "Quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur." (Whatever said in Latin, seems profound.) ??