Chapter 6. Naturalization of the Japanese loanword sushi in English
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Kiyoko Toratani
Abstract
This chapter examines where the Japanese loanword sushi stands in its naturalization process into English. Application of Doi’s (2014) scale to usage of sushi in the Oxford English Dictionary shows it is midway through naturalization. The chapter questions the finding, pointing out the problems of Doi’s scale, including its unmotivated ordering of criteria (e.g., precedence of “compounding” over “semantic change”). To assess the degree of naturalization, the chapter suggests considering the degree of entrenchment, which is reflected in (i) token frequency, (ii) use of the loanword in constructions, including snowclones (e.g., Sushi is the new pizza), and (iii) the word’s ability to expand the nomenclatural network. Examination of these points suggests sushi has already moved into the naturalized stage.
Abstract
This chapter examines where the Japanese loanword sushi stands in its naturalization process into English. Application of Doi’s (2014) scale to usage of sushi in the Oxford English Dictionary shows it is midway through naturalization. The chapter questions the finding, pointing out the problems of Doi’s scale, including its unmotivated ordering of criteria (e.g., precedence of “compounding” over “semantic change”). To assess the degree of naturalization, the chapter suggests considering the degree of entrenchment, which is reflected in (i) token frequency, (ii) use of the loanword in constructions, including snowclones (e.g., Sushi is the new pizza), and (iii) the word’s ability to expand the nomenclatural network. Examination of these points suggests sushi has already moved into the naturalized stage.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Abbreviations vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction to the volume 1
-
Section I. Overview
- Chapter 1. The language of food in Japanese through a linguistic lens 27
-
Section II. Mimetics and sound-symbolism in food names and food descriptions
- Chapter 2. Analysis of the use of Japanese mimetics in the eating and imagined eating of rice crackers 55
- Chapter 3. The sound-symbolic effects of consonants on food texture 79
- Chapter 4. Innovative binomial adjectives in Japanese food descriptions and beyond 111
-
Section III. Change in the language of food
- Chapter 5. Verbs of eating 135
- Chapter 6. Naturalization of the Japanese loanword sushi in English 161
-
Section IV. Taste terms
- Chapter 7. Clear is sweet 191
- Chapter 8. A frame-semantic approach to Japanese taste terms 231
-
Section V. Motion and force in the language of food
- Chapter 9. Verbs of seasoning in Japanese, with special reference to the locative alternation in English 263
- Chapter 10. Motion expressions in Japanese wine-tasting descriptions 293
- Chapter 11. Applying force dynamics to analyze taste descriptions in Japanese online columns 319
- Index 345
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Abbreviations vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction to the volume 1
-
Section I. Overview
- Chapter 1. The language of food in Japanese through a linguistic lens 27
-
Section II. Mimetics and sound-symbolism in food names and food descriptions
- Chapter 2. Analysis of the use of Japanese mimetics in the eating and imagined eating of rice crackers 55
- Chapter 3. The sound-symbolic effects of consonants on food texture 79
- Chapter 4. Innovative binomial adjectives in Japanese food descriptions and beyond 111
-
Section III. Change in the language of food
- Chapter 5. Verbs of eating 135
- Chapter 6. Naturalization of the Japanese loanword sushi in English 161
-
Section IV. Taste terms
- Chapter 7. Clear is sweet 191
- Chapter 8. A frame-semantic approach to Japanese taste terms 231
-
Section V. Motion and force in the language of food
- Chapter 9. Verbs of seasoning in Japanese, with special reference to the locative alternation in English 263
- Chapter 10. Motion expressions in Japanese wine-tasting descriptions 293
- Chapter 11. Applying force dynamics to analyze taste descriptions in Japanese online columns 319
- Index 345
