Chapter 9. Kawaii discourse
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Yuko Asano-Cavanagh
Abstract
With a point of departure in the Japanese keyword kawaii, roughly, “cute”, this chapter explores contemporary Japanese social discourse. Using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage to explicate kawaii, the two kawaii compounds ita-kawaii and otona-kawaii and the related keywords itai and otona, this study breaks new ground into the understanding of the conceptual basis of kawaii and its elaborations in discourse. As the conceptual configurations of kawaii and related concept are analysed, a view on Japanese socialization and gendered discourse is simultaneously developed, and the value of ‘being kawaii’ is being scrutinized through the stability and innovations of kawaii in discourse.
Abstract
With a point of departure in the Japanese keyword kawaii, roughly, “cute”, this chapter explores contemporary Japanese social discourse. Using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage to explicate kawaii, the two kawaii compounds ita-kawaii and otona-kawaii and the related keywords itai and otona, this study breaks new ground into the understanding of the conceptual basis of kawaii and its elaborations in discourse. As the conceptual configurations of kawaii and related concept are analysed, a view on Japanese socialization and gendered discourse is simultaneously developed, and the value of ‘being kawaii’ is being scrutinized through the stability and innovations of kawaii in discourse.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Typographical conventions and symbols ix
- Chapter 1. How words do things with people 1
- Chapter 2. Nice as a cultural keyword 25
- Chapter 3. Bogan as a keyword of contemporary Australia 55
- Chapter 4. Social keywords in postcolonial Melanesian discourse 83
- Chapter 5. Talking about Livet ‘life’ in Golden Age Danish 107
- Chapter 6. Visuality, identity and emotion 131
- Chapter 7. Subúrbio and suburbanos 157
- Chapter 8. Cantonese ‘ mong4 ’ 183
- Chapter 9. Kawaii discourse 211
- Chapter 10. An invitation to keyword studies 235
- Index 243
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Typographical conventions and symbols ix
- Chapter 1. How words do things with people 1
- Chapter 2. Nice as a cultural keyword 25
- Chapter 3. Bogan as a keyword of contemporary Australia 55
- Chapter 4. Social keywords in postcolonial Melanesian discourse 83
- Chapter 5. Talking about Livet ‘life’ in Golden Age Danish 107
- Chapter 6. Visuality, identity and emotion 131
- Chapter 7. Subúrbio and suburbanos 157
- Chapter 8. Cantonese ‘ mong4 ’ 183
- Chapter 9. Kawaii discourse 211
- Chapter 10. An invitation to keyword studies 235
- Index 243
