Creating a Mock-Western Identity Through English in Japanese Ads

Abstract

This study focuses on the forms and purposes of English codeswitching behaviour in Japanese advertising discourse today. By investigating a limited set of data, that of Japanese chocolate wrappers, a picture emerges of the way the global commodity of English is exploited primarily as a metaphor invoking a ‘mock-Western’ identity. The various playful techniques Japanese admen employ to achieve these ends are analyzed and illustrated. Among the linguistic ploys uncovered include the extensive use of the Latin alphabets to encode items that are originally part of the Japanese language, the adoption of Western-style names and the exploitation of snappy, short slogans that work like charms. The ideological dimensions behind the commercial discourse are also explored in connection to the theory of global English domination and the common convention of segregating English and Japanese to different spatial zones in the copy layout. Throughout the study, the cosmetic construction of a Western-style identity enhanced by resources drawn from English and the Roman script is referred to by a term coined by the researcher, namely linguistic ‘occidentalization’. Ultimately, it can be concluded from the study that Japanese admen manipulate English in a way that leads to the defusion and containment of its inherent potential threat as a carrier of neo-imperialist domination.

A Review of Semiotics in Advertising and Consumersr Attitude in the Indonesian Consumer Market

“…This because consumers who view the ads probably are not look at carefully so as to understand the meaning of message but may react favorably to the symbolic material of the English (Cheshire & Moser 1994). Moreover, the purpose of the use of local language added with English is used many times to raise the act of comprehending (Loveday 2008). Hassan and Katsanis (1991) note this as well and discuss the considerable challenge for consumer marketing in global markets that involves dealing with segmented market across cultures.…”

Sacru și profan în atribuirea prenumelor din Țara Chioarului

“…Loveday (1996) provides an account of contemporary Japanese contact with English in commercial settings where anglicization evokes images of sophistication, modernity and youth. Following that, Loveday (2008) interprets the codeswitching behavior occurring in Japanese advertising discourse and, in particular, the context of chocolate bar wrappers, as a means of invoking a "mock-Western" identity. In their examination of Japanese names for condominiums and burial sites, Wilkerson & Wilkerson (2013) found a strong connection between the perceived prestige and price of such spaces and the type of "pseudo-Western neologisms" used to name them.…”

“…This orthographic re-encoding into the Japanese script is a conventionalized onomastic practice cf. Loveday (2008). Bilingual repetition is not merely a decorative technique but an essential device to enable Japanese consumers lacking in English skills to read and pronounce foreign names.…”

“…It may also function as an invocation cf. Loveday (2008) on how commercial slogans, jingles and ads can be viewed as modern-day charms consisting of often-repeated linguistic forms created to allure and enchant. In connection with this perspective, Danesi (2011: 184) compares brand names to magic spells which make "modern-day humans […] see, for example, products as necessary for success, beauty, (and) adventure […].…”

Crosslinguistic lexical transfer of English-based loanwords in English L2 writing by Japanese university students

“…The first two strata are represented by the core vocabulary of native Japanese and the fourth-century addition, Sino-Japanese, which is now wholly assimilated into the language. Gairaigo became extant from the late 16 th century with the establishment of international trade, and increasingly so after the opening of Japan in the mid-19 th century as a consequence of renewed trade links and the importance given to Western philosophy, science, and technology -factors which continue to influence the choice of borrowings (Loveday 2008). The final stratum is comprised of hybrids which are pairings of the above (e.g.…”