Japanese Cultural Identity Essay

1328 Words6 Pages

Primarily, the centre of the research on Japanese cultural identity for this paper will be of two very different Japanese cultural identity groups; mixed race Japanese citizens and a selection of Japanese subcultures. Although both of these groups have a definite connection with the English language, the nature of this connection is vastly different. This connection also is heavily subjected to prejudice and other’s attitudes regarding an identity, all of which will be elaborated on in the appropriate subsections. It is hoped that through choosing these two particular case studies, a definite inherentness of the English language in Japanese cultural identity can be proved. 4.2.1. Mixed Race Japanese Citizens First of all, the case study of …show more content…

Firstly, the functional quality has already been discussed; a mixed race Japanese person’s identity is negotiable by the usage of the English language, or the lack of it. Furthermore, the natural quality and the inseparable quality are related. English will always be associated directly with the stereotypical mixed race Japanese person and therefore be a daily encounter. This echoes both natural and inseparable qualities. Because of the inseparable nature of this English association, the connection with the English language will become natural to any mixed race Japanese …show more content…

Whereas ganguro ガングロand the more extreme yamamba 山姥are very outspoken forms taking on an extreme makeup and clothing style, kogal コギャルis the more dimmed down high school subculture of this branch. Their shared attributes however are more foreign inspired attire, as well as lighter hair and darker skin. In addition, their language use is quite characteristic for the larger subculture. Furthermore, the lolita style, which was briefly mentioned in chapter 2 already, can be expressed in many sub varieties which differ greatly visually. However, their common ground is in their behaviours and language