Yukako Sunaoshi Diversifying the Notion of Femininity for Language and Gender Research in Japanese

University of Auckland, New Zealand
School of Asian Studies
Private Bag 92019
Auckland
NEW ZEALAND
y.sunaoshi@auckland.ac.nz

Abstract

Researchers of language and gender in Japanese have assumed that Japanese women and men are all under the influence of the gender ideology manifested as Japanese Women's Language (hereafter JWL) to the same extent. My study participants from rural Ibaraki, however, have not internalized the notion of JWL in their value structure, at least not as much to influence their speech.

When JWL is associated with expected 'Japanese' femininity, we are in fact assuming that of the urban upper-middle class: a combination of cultural capital the society expects women of that socio-economic background to possess. However, femininity in farming communities in Japan, for example, is quite different from this set of expectations. My participants discussed the importance of juggling work in the farming field and housework, and physical strength as important qualities to be considered a 'good wife'. When the expected femininity differs, linguistic features must index different feminine qualities as well. This could be a reason that those women of Ibaraki have not utilized JWL, since in their Community of Practice, the kinds of qualities indexed by JWL does not necessarily contribute to their formation of feminine identity.

Researchers of language and gender in Japanese have reached the point where we need to critically examine our own assumptions not only of JWL, its use and speakers, but also the notion of femininity, of which we need to avoid making a gross generalization. Failure to do so could separate us from the real, diverse speakers in Japan even further.

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