REFLECTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
Throughout the course of my research, I was profoundly struck by the notion that expectations of female speech act as barriers to Japanese women, and how the differences are much deeper than surface-level morphology. This was emphasized to me when the female Waseda student revealed that she actually avoided traditionally female words and was infuriated by their existence. Mizuno also expressed a desire for more vocal women in lawmaking and society. The general consensus was that the difference in language forms extends beyond just simple sentence endings, but is actually representative of the separation of women and men in Japanese society, and the expectations that women should be quiet and well behaved. Another female Waseda student said to me that “I’m not a feminist but I hope the situation would be changed, because Japanese women have low self esteem and are unlikely to say their opinions clearly in public in Japanese society.” According to her, the speech dichotomy is reflective of the expectation that women are meek and undeserving of positions of authority.
The pervasive existence of different speech forms and its revelations about the place of women in Japanese society is also demonstrated in Kanoko Kamata’s advocacy for for reforming sex crime laws in Japan. Kamata was able to achieve incredible reformations to Japan’s very outdated domestic violence legislation, including protection against psychological abuse and the extension of restraining orders to protect children, despite the fact that expectations of women to be complacent and quiet put her at such great odds against Japanese society. Mizuno mentioned that men men don’t like to be addressed with straightforward opinions by women, so the strategy that Kamata and her team used was to not really affront the issue but rather collaborate around the issue and then infiltrate it. The initial resistance of politicians to advocacy against sexual assault also reflects the deep seated notions of misogyny in Japan (Kamata 2017). While not always overt, societal sexism is demonstrated in women’s treatment in the workplace and lack of sufficient maternity leave, as well as differences in language forms used by men and women. Sex education focuses on biological mechanisms and ignores human rights and consent. Consent is not widely discussed, and many women consider inappropriate actions to be flattering, because it means that they are attractive enough to garner said attention. Women are incessantly sexualized in cartoons and pop culture, and there exists much pornography indulging in rape fantasy. This culture can deeply affect women, because they think that sexual assaults are normal and acceptable. It was very jarring for me to speak with these Japanese women and realize just how deep seated cultural misogyny and systematic sexism is, and how it is manifesting itself in different layers of society. The differences across gender are more pronounced than simple sentence endings, and reflect deep power struggles that impede women in politics and social authority. The most interesting part of my project was speaking with these Japanese women and realizing the disconnect between Japan and the United States in terms of milestones for gender equality. It was striking to hear the frustration expressed by Japanese women regarding the rules towards how they should speak. This frustration was more apparent in the younger generation, and less so in the case of the older generation, represented by Mizuno.
From examining gender and language cross generationally, and reading many different academic interpretations, I have compiled some key takeaways. For one, language differences appear to be changing, especially among university students, and it is more socially acceptable for women to use traditionally male words and structures. I also learned that gender differences are much more nuanced than I initially expected. There are so many factors that affect language use, that sometimes it is hard to single out which variable or variables is affecting it. In terms of politeness, polite words can show distance between two people, and can be used to express respect. The use of polite words does not always imply that sexism is occurring, and some linguists are too quick to overgeneralize this. Other linguists write that women use more polite speech because women are generally more collaborative, while men are more individualistic. Therefore, women will speak in a way that makes them more approachable. Also, seniority is almost as important as gender in Japan in determining formality of speech. This is shown in the first episode of reality TV show Terrace House, which we watched in class, when Ami switches to informal speech when she learns that Yuudai is younger than she is (Terrace House 2017).
My research has left me with many questions regarding the LGBTQ community, and has led me to many potential areas for further inquiry. My project focuses on a strict gender binary, and I would very much be interested in delving into speech forms used by different gender identities and sexualities, but for the purpose of limiting the scope of my project to something that was attainable in four weeks, I was unable to include it in my research. I learned from my interview that males using female forms is often associated with homosexuality, but that females using male forms rather interpreted as insulting. If I had more time in Japan this is an avenue I would be very interested in exploring.