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Abstract
This article describes results from a reaction test of Japanese speakersʼ attitudes
toward word choice, kango and wago. Trends were seen in the results, providing some
support to the hypotheses that (1) respondents will judge the writer of the kango text to
be male more often than they do the author of the wago text; (2) Respondents will judge
the writer of the kango text to be older than the author of the wago text; (3)
Respondents will judge the writer of the kango version to be more educated than the
author of the wago text. However, due to a limited number of test subjects, significant
differences were not present, with the exception of the authorʼs age.
Introduction
!
! Language usage can be used to identify a speaker as belonging to a particular
group, or having a particular social identity (Guy 1988: 37). Guy initially looked at
differences in language usage regarding pitch difference; men speak at a different pitch
from women and children at a different pitch from adults (37). He goes on to talk about
differences in phonology, grammar and lexical choice (37). Differences in language are
known to be tied to social dimensions. And the primary dimensions which sociolinguists
have studied include: social class, age, sex, and style (Romaine 1994: 67- 69).
" Early studies on the topic concluded that variation in language occurs in a
random and unpredictable manner, termed 'free variation' (Romaine 1994: 68). Labov's
study (1966) in New York city, however, showed that free variation "was not free, but
rather conditioned by social factors such as social class, age, sex, and style in
predictable ways" (Romaine 1994: 68-69). The use and ultimate variation of language is
having a particular social identity" (Guy 1988: 37). Le Page (1978, as cited in Walters
Van Buren 2
1988: 131) states the “individual creates for himself the patterns of his linguistic
behavior so as to resemble those of the group or groups with which from time to time he
distinguished.” "
" According to Hamilton et al. (1992: 102), “language is a primary vehicle for
spoken language, written language must also be included when looking at variation.
Japanese Lexicon
" The Japanese lexicon is made up of three major vocabulary strata, consisting of
native Japanese words (wago), Sino-Japanese words (kango), and foreign loanwords
(gairaigo) (Yamaguchi 2007: 40). Maynard states that, “yamatokotoba (wago) is more
appropriately used to express emotion and feelings” (1998: 15). This is corroborated by
Yamaguchi (2007: 40) citing Ōno (1974: 6) stating that, “basic concepts in our everyday
life often fall under native Japanese words.” These are contrasted with the larger
meaning” (Yamaguchi 2007: 49). For these reasons “casual speech...shows restricted
use of kango while an academic thesis uses kango more abundantly” (Maynard 1998:
15). However, while there may be conventions for when a certain word choice is made,
“different discourse genres use varying levels of mixture of these two types of
vocabulary (Maynard 1998: 15). None of the foregoing present any actual counts of
vocabulary, but conventional wisdom has it that kango is associated with impersonal
Van Buren 3
spoken) discourse.
Script Relationship
! Smith & Schmidt (1996: PG) state that, “Nomura (1988) and others have detailed
greater degree, [in] kanji.” They go on to state that the texts used for their research
reflected by this trend —“lexicon “drives” the script, since it is less likely for kango to be
encoded in kana script than in kanji“ (PG). While a word written in kanji does not
" According to Satake (1989, as cited in Smith & Schmidt 1996: 60) there exist
certain stereotypes with each script. Table 1, below, shows these stereotypes. As seen
from the table the appearance of kanji stereotypically is associated with erudite, middle-
aged males. Hiragana on the other hand, is associated with softness, youth and
" While kango does not have to been written in kanji the trends indicate that such
is the case. Inversely, wago tend to be written with a combination of hiragana and kanji.
From this one can extrapolate that if kanji use is associated men, then kango words are
"
" The purpose of the present study was to test Smith and Schmidtʼs
generalizations, and to examine how readers perceive texts with greater occurrence of
morphology.
" This pilot study tested three hypotheses: (1) respondents will judge the writer of a
kango text to be male more often than they do the author of a wago text; (2)
respondents will judge the writer of a kango text to be older than the author of a wago
text; (3) respondents will judge the writer of a kango version to be more educated than
Method
Participants
" The participants of this study were 30 native Japanese speakers, 18 male and 12
the study was conducted participants time in the United States ranged from three to
Participation in the study was voluntary and no compensation was given. Subjects were
Materials
Text
" An article from The Nihongo Journal was modified and used for the study. The
changes to the original article were done in order to further accentuate the usage of the
kango and wago. Two versions of the text (kango and wago) resulted from the changes
Van Buren 5
made to the original article. Wago words, in the original version, were changed into
kango words for the kango version and inversely, kango words were changed into wago
words in the wago version. The two versions of the text were checked by a native
Japanese speaker in order to minimize differences in meaning between the wago and
kango counterparts, however, slight differences may still exist. The three versions of the
article (original, modified toward kango, and modified toward wago) are contained in
" After reading one of the two versions participants answered a questionnaire on
what they read. The questionnaire (Appendix 2) was used to determine native speakers
author's age, gender, educational level and personality traits. For the age, gender, and
completed education section of the questionnaire, distinct choices were offered to the
participant. They were asked to circle the answer they agreed with most. However, for
the personality trait portion of the questionnaire participants rated the degree to which
they felt the author possessed certain qualities on a 5-point Likert scale (1 in strong
favor of the 'left' term and 5 in strong favor of the 'right' term).
Procedure
" The participants were given either a wago or kango version of the text and a
questionnaire. Subjects were asked to complete the questionnaire and return it to the
researcher during a group gathering. (All activities took place in Fall 2008.) Participants
were instructed that in the case they were unable to decide on an answer to skip the
question. (Few respondents took this option; almost all questions had responses.)
Results
Analysis
" Results of the responses were statistically analyzed using chi square (χ²) and
analysis of variation (ANOVA). Due to the low number of participants (n=30) the p value
calculated from the chi square test was an approximation, which when compared to the
p value calculated from ANOVA proved to be quite inaccurate. For all tests a α value of
0.1 was used. To compensate for the small sample size 0.1 was used instead of the
typical 0.05. This study looked for tendencies, not exact percentages; for this a α value
of 0.1 serves the purpose. In order to achieve a α value of 0.05, a sample size of at
least 377 is recommended (Raosoft, Inc. 2004). The analysis assumed a null
hypothesis - that no differences between the groups existed and an alternate hypothesis
" The first question of the questionnaire asked participants to judge the age of the
author. Results (Table 3) show a p < 0.1 and a F value greater than the F critical value.
This indicates that with 90% confidence there are differences between the two groups
(wago and kango). Based on the averages of the two groups it can be stated that
readers of the wago version chose the author to be in 21-30 year old age range and the
author of the kango version to be in the 31-40 year old age range. This result bears out
hypothesis (2), that readers will judge the author of the kango version to be older.
The results from question 2 (Table 4), regarding the gender of the author, show a p >
0.1 and a F value to be less than the F critical. From this result the null hypothesis was
rejected and we must therefore accept that there is no perceived gender difference
between the wago and kango authors. Therefore hypothesis (1), that readers would
judge the kango author to be male, was disproved. Neutral language usage could be a
possible explanation for results not supporting this hypothesis. Neutral language usage
refers to both a possible equality trend in language conventions: certain language is not
associated with a particular group, as well as other language used throughout the
article. The stereotypes mentioned in Smith & Schmidtʼs article, while only about 10
years old, may have changed slightly resulting in universal expectations. Also, due to a
limited number of modified words in the article, the unmodified words may have reduced
" Contrary to the stereotypes in Smith & Schmidt's (1996: 50) and Iwahara et. al's
(2003: 381) studies which showed that kanji was associated with erudition, the question
regarding the author's education level (Table 5) showed no difference between the two
surfaced. Regarding hypothesis (3), that more readers would view the kango author as
more educated, the results did not bear out this hypothesis. The original article was
writer would present the topic in a clear and concise fashion, making understanding of
the article easy as possible for the reader. Limited word changes in the article may not
change how the reader perceives the author because the established, easy to
" Tables 6 through 21 (Appendix 3) show the results from the personality trait
section of the questionnaire. The responses show no significant differences between the
wago and kango reader groups (α = 0.1). The closest question to reject the null
hypothesis was question 4p (Appendix 2) regarding the author's race. With a p value
slightly greater than 0.1 the differences could not be confidently claimed. However, the
trend seems to show that kango is chosen to represent a Japanese author more than a
foreigner, although the results fail to support this with confidence. Results for question
Conclusion
! In this study, three hypotheses were tested: (1) respondents will judge the writer
of the kango text to be male more often than they do the author of the wago text; (2)
Respondents will judge the writer of the kango text to be older than the author of the
wago text; (3) Respondents will judge the writer of the kango version to be more
educated than the author of the wago text. In response to the first hypothesis, while one
'female' response was noted, the difference between the two groups was not significant
(p > 0.1). An increase in the number of participants in the survey might have produced
more 'female' responses from the wago readers, however, in this study there existed no
differences. While the text was considered neutral in subject, it appears that the
language used was also neutral in terms of identifying the gender of the author.
" The second hypothesis dealing with the author's age was the only question to
show any differences between the wago and kango groups. The differences were
significant (p < 0.1). The result indicates that with 90% confidence reader's of the kango
" The last hypothesis, focusing on the author's education level, also proved to have
no significant difference (p > 0.1). Based on previous research (Smith & Schmidt 1996,
and Iwahara et al. 2003) the hypothesis seemed to be the most promising. However,
this study's results did not bear this out. Even with modifications to the text the overall
quality of the writing was enough to negate any changes in the text. Also, the lack of
(Raosoft, Inc. 2004). Other possible reasons for a lack of differences between the two
groups could be the nature of the instrument. There were limited differences between
texts, ten modifications; perhaps the threshold for triggering responses in readersʼ
minds is higher than what this instrument provided. Also the topic of the text was
presumed to be neutral; however, maybe it wasnʼt neutral after all. The article was
these features would indicate that neither kango nor wago should be expected by the
reader. Future research opportunities include a similar test with a larger number of
References:
Hamilton, D. L., Gibbons, P. A., Stroessner, S. J., & Sherman, J. W. (1992). Language,
Intergroup Relations and Stereotypes. In G. R. Semin & K. Fiedler (Eds.), Language,
Interaction and Social Cognition. (pp. 102-128). Newbury Park: Sage Publications.
Iwahara, A., Hatta, T., & Maehara, A. (2003). The Effects of a Sense of Compatibility
between Type of Script and Word in Written Japanese. Reading and Writing: An
Interdisciplinary Journal, 16, 377-397.
Labov, W. (1966). The Social Stratification of English in New York City. Washington
D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Mizutani, N. (1986). The "Proxy" Fad. In T. Hiramoto (Ed.), The Nihongo Journal
(August). (pp. 26-27). Tokyo: ALC Press.
Raosoft, Inc. (2004). Sample Size Calculator. Retrieved 12.13, 2008, from http://
www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html?
margin=5&confidence=90&population=20000&response=50&sample1=100&sample2=2
00&sample3=300&confidence1=90&confidence2=95&confidence3=99
Satake, H. (1989). Statistical Method to Analyze the Writing Form Variation of Japanese
Words. S. Mizutani (Ed.), Japanese Quantitative Linguistics. Quantitative Linguistics 39,
119-129. Bochum: Studienverlag Dr. N. Brockmeyer.
Appendix 1 - Texts
Original
代行ばやり
大事件や有名人のからんだ事件の公判のときは、傍聴を希望する人が裁判所にお
しかけて、長い列を作る。忙しくて並ぶひまのない人のために、代わりに並んで傍聴券
をもらうアルバイトがある。傍聴券だけではなく、有名校の入試の受付、正月まえの列
車の特急券売場にも、人に代わって並ぶ「並びや」という仕事があるそうである。
旅行の計画や引っ越しの準備も、自分でやる部分が少なくなった。結婚式や葬式
も、たいていのことは業者がやってくれる。式のやりかたを考えたり覚えたりする必要
がない。当人はお金を払って、だまってその指示に従っていればいい。結婚の相手もコ
ンピュータでさがしてくれる業者がいる。このごろは出産まで人に依頼することがあ
り、お金をもらってそれを引き受ける人もいるそうである。
こうした代行ばやりの話を聞いていると、子供のころ、雪の降る寒い日など、だ
れか代わりに学校へ行ってくれないかなと空想したことが、思い出される。大人になっ
た今も、代わりに会社へ行って仕事をしてくれる「仕事や」を望む気持ちは強い。しか
しどうやらこの新商売はまだ現れていないらしいし、もし現れてもその仕事やに払うお
金がなければどうしようもない。きょうのところはあきらめて、満員電車にゆられて会
社へ行くとしよう。
Kango
代行ばやり(漢語)
大事件や有名人のからんだ事件の公判のときは、傍聴を希望する人が裁判所にお
しかけて、長い列を作る。忙しくて並ぶひまのない人のために、代わりに並んで傍聴券
をもらうアルバイトがある。傍聴券だけではなく、有名校の入試の受付、正月まえの列
車の特急券売場にも、人に代わって並ぶ「並びや」という仕事があるそうである。
旅行の計画や引っ越しの準備も、自分でやる部分が少なくなった。結婚式や葬式
も、たいていのことは業者がやってくれる。式のやりかたを考えたり覚えたりする必要
がない。当人はお金を払って、だまってその指示に順守すればいい。結婚の相手もコン
ピュータでさがしてくれる業者がいる。このごろは出産まで人に依頼することがあり、
お金をもらってそれを受注人もいるそうである。
こうした代行ばやりの話を聞いていると、子供のころ、雪の降る寒い日など、だ
れか代わりに学校へ行ってくれないかなと空想したことが、思い出される。大人になっ
た今も、代わりに会社へ行って仕事をしてくれる「仕事や」を望む気持ちは強い。しか
しどうやらこの新商売はまだ出現していないらしいし、もし現れてもその仕事やに払う
Van Buren 14
Appendix 1 (continued)
お金がなければどうしようもない。きょうのところはあきらめて、満員電車にゆられて
会社へ行くとしよう。
Wago
代行ばやり(和語)
大事件や有名人のからんだ事件の公判のときは、傍聴を望む人が裁判所におしか
けて、長い列を作る。忙しくて並ぶひまのない人のために、代わりに並んで傍聴券をも
らうアルバイトがある。傍聴券だけではなく、有名校の入試の受付、正月まえの列車の
特急券売場にも、人に代わって並ぶ「並びや」という仕事があるそうである。
旅の計画や引っ越しの準備も、自分でやる部分が少なくなった。結婚式や葬式
も、たいていのことは業者がやってくれる。式のやりかたを考えたり覚えたりする必要
がない。当人はお金を払って、だまってその指示に従っていればいい。結婚の相手もコ
ンピュータでさがしてくれる業者がいる。このごろは出産まで人に頼むことがあり、お
金をもらってそれを引き受ける人もいるそうである。
こうした代行ばやりの話を聞いていると、子供のころ、雪の降る寒い日など、だ
れか代わりに学校へ行ってくれないかなと夢見たことが、思い出される。大きくになっ
た今も、代わりに会社へ行って仕事をしてくれる「仕事や」を望む気持ちは強い。しか
しどうやらこの新しい商売はまだ現れていないらしいし、もし現れてもその仕事やに払
うお金がなければどうしようもない。きょうのところはあきらめて、込んでいる電車に
ゆられて会社へ行くとしよう。
Translation
The "Proxy" Fad
" In major legal cases, or when famous people are involved in trials, those wishing
to attend the hearings rush over and form a long line in front of the courthouse. For
people who are busy and don't have the time to wait in line themselves, there are part-
time workers whose task is to stand in line and receive hearing admission tickets for
others. The type of "proxy" service is not limited to hearing slips: there are also "line
waiting" agencies that send "standers" (people to stand in line) to sign customers up for
entrance examinations for famous schools, or to buy special express train tickets during
the New Year holiday season.
" The amount of preparation that you have to do yourself when making travel plans
or when moving has decreased. At weddings and funerals, professionals in charge
handle most of the arrangements. There is no need to think about the ceremony or
learn its ins and out yourself. Everything runs smoothly as long as the party concerned
Van Buren 15
Appendix 1 (continued)
simlply pays and obeys the instructions given. Some agencies will also find marital
partners for its clients by computer. These days, it appears there are even people who
request childbirth from others-and others, likewise, willing to undertake such tasks for
money.
" Hearing about "substitute" or "proxy" services makes me think back to cold,
snowy days when I was a child, when I fantasized about having someone go to school
in place of me. These days, as an adult, there are times when I dream of a "substitute
worker" service in which some
one would go to the company and do my job for me. Even if they did make a "substitute
worker service," I'd still have to have the money to pay for it... I guess I'll just resign
myself to riding the packed trains to work.
Appendix 2 - Questionnaire
このアンケート調査は、記事の内容からどのように著者の人物像を判断するかを調査す
るものです。あまり考えすぎずに思いつくままに回答してください。
まず記事を読んで、次は下記の質問に答えてください。
1。著者の年齢は何歳ぐらいだと思いますか。
1。20歳以下
2。21−30歳
3。31−40歳
4。40歳以上
2。著者の性別は何だと思いますか。
1。女性
2。男性
3。著者の最終学歴は何だと思いますか。
1。高校以下
2。高校
Van Buren 16
Appendix 2 (continued)
3。大学
4。大学院
4。著者がどんな人か言葉で言い表すとしたら、どれが当てはまると思いますか。次の
それぞれの言葉のペアについて考えてみてください。例にならって、二つの言葉の間の
どこかにマークしてください。(判断出来ないものはとばしてかまいません。)
'1'を選ぶ場合、「非常に面白いと思う」。
'4'を選ぶ場合、「面白いというより、どちらかとういえばつまらない」
Appendix 2 (continued)
p. " 日本人 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" 外国人
自分のことに関して下記の質問に答えてください
1。性別
" a. 男性
" b. 女性
2。5歳から現在までで一番長く住んだ土地
___ (○○県○○市)
In this questionnaire, you will be asked to judge the author of a short passage solely on
the basis of the content. Don't think too long about your answers. Just respond off the
top of your head.
Read the text first, then go on to the questions that follow
1. About how old do you think the author of this passage is?
" 1. Younger than 20
" 2. 21-30
" 3. 31-40
" 4. Over 40
Appendix 2 (continued)
" 3. College
" 4. Graduate school
4. How would you describe the author in words? Consider the following terms and circle
the alternative that you think more accurately describes the writer. (If you cannot decide,
skip to the next.)
a. " Educated" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Uneducated
b. " Polite" " " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Impolite
c. " Snobby " " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Humble
d. " Confident" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Insecure
e. " Sympathetic" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Unsympathetic
f. " Friendly " " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Unfriendly
g. " Unselfish" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Selfish
h. " Careful" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Careless
i. " Capable" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Incapable
j. " Flexible" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Inflexible
k. " Warm"" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Cold
l. " Intelligent" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Unintelligent
m. " Optimistic" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Pessimistic
n. " Conservative"" 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Liberal
o. " Well-to-do" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Not well off
p. " Japanese" " 1" 2" 3" 4" 5" " Foreigner