Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T09:18:03.509Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Affect and letter-writing: Unconventional conventions in casual writing by young Japanese women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2009

Kuniyoshi Kataoka
Affiliation:
Second Language Acquisition and Teaching, Department of English, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, [email protected]

Abstract

With special attention to the use of unconventional practices and pictorial signs in casual letter writing, this article shows how young Japanese women effectively exploit affect-laden shape, form, and function in order to establish intimate and solidary relationships. They rely on both conventional and unconventional aspects of Japanese orthography, encoding affect specific to the given context and merging spoken with written modes of self-representation. In so doing, they seem to draw on diverse “frames” of written language, and to manipulate symbolic means of association and integration for achieving reciprocity. These features not only provide the basis for reciprocity, but may also suggest a new mode of literacy caused by social change. (Writing, literacy, affect, Japanese, pictorial signs, letter-writing)

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Beaman, Karen (1984). Coordination and subordination revisited: Syntactic complicity in spoken and written narrative discourse. In Tannen, Deborah (ed.), Coherence in spoken and written discourse, 4565. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Google Scholar
Besnier, Niko (1988). The linguistic relationships of spoken and written Nukulaelae registers. Language 64:707–.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Besnier, Niko (1989). Literacy and feelings: The encoding of affect in Nukulaelae letters. Text 9:6991.Google Scholar
Besnier, Niko (1991). Literacy and the notion of person on Nukulaelae Atoll. American Anthropologist 93:570–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biber, Douglas (1986). Spoken and written textual dimensions in English: Resolving the contradictory findings. Language 62:384414.Google Scholar
Briggs, Charles L., & Bauman, Richard (1992). Genre, intertextuality, and social power. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 2:131–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brow, Penelope, & Levinson, Stephen C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruner, Edward M. (1986). Experience and its expressions. In Turner, Victor W. & Bruner, Edward M. (eds.), The ethnography of experience, 332. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.Google Scholar
Caffi, Claudia (1986). Writing letters. In Johansen, Jergen D. & Sonne, Harly (eds.), Pragmatics and linguistics, 4957. Odense, Denmark: Odense University Press.Google Scholar
Camitta, Miriam (1993). Vernacular writing: Varieties of literacy among Philadelphia high school students. In Street, Brian (ed.), Cross-cultural approaches to literacy, 228–46. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Chafe, Wallace C. (1982). Integration and involvement in speaking, writing, and oral literature. In Tannen, Deborah (ed.), Spoken and written language: Exploring orality and literacy, 3553. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Google Scholar
Chafe, Wallace C. (1993). The flow of ideas in a sample of written language. In Mann, William C. & Thompson, Sandra A. (eds.), Discourse description: Diverse linguistic analyses of a fund-raising text, 267–94. Amsterdam: Benjamins.Google Scholar
Chafe, Wallace C., & Danielewicz, Jane (1987). Properties of spoken and written language. In Horowitz, & Samuels, (eds.), 83113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chafe, Wallace C., & Tannen, Deborah (1987). The relation between written and spoken language. Annual Review of Anthropology 16:383407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eckert, Penelope (1988). Adolescent social structure and the spread of linguistic change. Language in Society 17:183207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ekman, Paul, & Davidson, Richard J. (1994). Are there basic emotions? In Ekman, Paul & Davidson, Richard J. (eds.), The nature of emotion: Fundamental questions, 547. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Fauconnier, Gilles (1994). Mental spaces. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feld, Steven (1990). Sound and sentiment. philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.Google Scholar
Fox, Barbara (1987). Discourse structure and anaphora. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goody, Jack (1987). Language and writing. In his The interface between the written and the oral, 258–89. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Granovetter, Mark (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology 78:1360–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haarmann, Harold (1989). Symbolic values of foreign language use: From the Japanese case to a general sociolinguistic perspective. Berlin: Mouton.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halliday, Michael A. K. (1978). Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning. London: Arnold.Google Scholar
Halliday, Michael A. K. (1987). Spoken and written modes of meaning. In Horowitz, & Samuels, (eds.), 5582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanks, William F. (1987). Discourse genres in a theory of practice. American Ethnologist 14:668–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hara, Junsuke (1990) Gendai Nihon no kaisō kōzō ]The class structure of contemporary Japan[ TokyoTōkyō Daigaku ShuppankaiGoogle Scholar
Hill, Jane (1991) Weeping as a meta-signal in a Mexicano woman's narrative Journal of Folklore Research 27 2949Google Scholar
Holland, Dorothy, & Quinn, Naomi (1987), eds Cultural models in language and thought Cambridge & New YorkCambridge University PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horn, Rei'ichi (1990) Onna no kotoba ]Women's language[ TokyoMeiji ShornGoogle Scholar
Horowitz, Rosalind, & Samuels, S Jay (1987), eds Comprehending oral and written language San DiegoAcademic PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hymes, Dell (1966) Two types of linguistic relativity In Bright, William (ed), Sociolmguistics, 131–56 Hague MoutonGoogle Scholar
Irvine, Judith (1990) Registenng affect Heteroglossia in the linguistic expression of emotion In Lutz, Catherine & Abu-Lughod, Lila (eds), Language and the politics of emotion, 126–61 Cambridge & New YorkCambridge University PressGoogle Scholar
Jakobson, Roman (1960) Linguistics and poetics In Sebeok, Thomas (ed), Style in language, 350–77 CambridgeCambridge University PressGoogle Scholar
Jakobson, Roman (1990) Langue and parole Code and message In Waugh, Linda R & Monville-Burston, Monique (eds), On language, 80109Cambridge, MAHarvard University Press ]Originally published in 1942[Google Scholar
Jugaku, Akiko (1979) Nihongo to onna ]The Japanese language and women[ TokyoIwanami ShotenGoogle Scholar
Kataoka, Kuniyoshi (1995) Affect in Japanese women's letter writing Use of sentence-final particles ne and yo and orthographic conventions Pragmatics 5 427–53Google Scholar
Kindaichi, Haruhiko (1975) Nihonjm no gengo hyōgen ]Verbal expressions of the Japanese people[ TokyoKōdanshaGoogle Scholar
Komori, Yōichi (1992) Buntai to aidentiti ]Style and identity[ Gengo 23, 10, 4855Google Scholar
Labov, William (1972a) Language in the inner city PhiladelphiaUniversity of Pennsylvania PressGoogle Scholar
Labov, William (1972b) Sociolinguistic patterns PhiladelphiaUniversity of Pennsylvania PressGoogle Scholar
Lakoff, George (1987) Women, fire, and dangerous things ChicagoUniversity of Chicago PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Labov, William, & Johnson, Mark (1980) Metaphors we live by ChicagoUniversity of Chicago PressGoogle Scholar
Labov, William, & Kovecses, Zoltán (1987) The cognitive model of anger inherent in American English In Holland, & Quinn, (eds), 195221CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Labov, William, & Turner, Mark (1989) More than cool reason A field guide to poetic metaphor ChicagoUniversity of Chicago PressGoogle Scholar
Lakoff, Robin (1982) Some of my favorite writers are literate The mingling of oral and literate strategies in written communication In Tannen, Deborah (ed), Spoken and written language, 239–60 Norwood, NJAblexGoogle Scholar
Lorenz, Konrad (1971) Part and parcel in animal and human societies A methodological discussion In his Studies in animal and human behavior, 2 115–95 Cambridge, MAHarvard University PressGoogle Scholar
Lutz, Catherine (1987) Goals, events, and understanding in Ifaluk emotion theory In Holland, & Quinn, (eds), 290312CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Markus, Hazel R, & Kitayama, Shinobu (1991) Culture and the self Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation Psychological Review 98 224–53CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mathews, Holly (1992) The directive force of morality tales in a Mexican community In D'Andrade, Roy & Strauss, Claudia (eds), Human motives and cultural models, 127–62 Cambridge & New YorkCambridge University PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milroy, Lesley (1987) Language and social network 2nd ed OxfordBlackwellGoogle Scholar
Mukařovsky, Jan (1964) Standard language and poetic language In Garvin, Paul (ed), A Prague School reader on esthetics, literary structure, and style, 1730Washington, DCGeorgetown University PressGoogle Scholar
Nakamura, Kumiko (1983) Joshi kōsei no tegamibun ]Letter writing of female high school students[ Gengo Seikatsu 380 8896Google Scholar
Nihongogaku (1993) Special issue on “Pasokon tūshin” [Personal computer communication] TokyoMeiji Shorn, 12Google Scholar
Nihongogaku (1994) Special issue on “Wakai josei no kotoba” [Young women's language] TokyoMeiji Shorn, 10Google Scholar
Nishihara, Kazumi (1988) Kōkosei no kokugo ishiki [Current perceptions of Japanese among high school students] Gengo Seikatsu 435 6871Google Scholar
Nunberg, Geoffrey (1995) Transfers of meaning Journal of Semantics 12 109–32CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nystrand, Martin (1989) A social-interactive model of writing Written Communication 6 6685CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ochs, Elinor, & Schieffehn, Bambi (1989) Language has a heart Text 9 725Google Scholar
Odagin, Hideo (1984) Gendai bungei yōgo no kaisetsu [Definition of contemporary literary terms] In Gendai Yōgo no Kiso Chishiki, 676TokyoJiyūkokuminshaGoogle Scholar
Ortony, Andrew, & Turner, Terence (1990) What's basic about basic emotions? Psychological Review 91 315–31CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pokeberu Angō Book [Book of pager cryptograms] (1994) TokyoFutabashaGoogle Scholar
Quinn, Naomi (1987) Convergent evidence for a cultural model of American marriage In Holland, & Quinn, (eds), 173–92CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quinn, Naomi (1991) The cultural basis of metaphor In Fernandez, James W (ed), Beyond metaphor, 5693Stanford, CAStanford University PressGoogle Scholar
Rogers, Everett M (1979) Network analysis of the diffusion of innovations In Holland, Paul W & Leinhardt, Samuel (eds), Perspectives on social network research, 137–64 New YorkAcademic PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubin, Donald L (1984) The influence of communicative context on stylistic variation in writing In Pellegrini, Anthony D & Yawkey, Thomas D (eds), The development of oral and written language in social contexts, 213–31 Norwood, NJAblexGoogle Scholar
Sakakibara, Shōji (1993) Sesōgo sanpo [A look at buzz words], 93 Gengo, 12, 133–34Google Scholar
Sapir, Edward (1921) Language New YorkHarcourt BraceGoogle Scholar
Satake, Hideo (1980) Wakamono zasshi no kotoba Shin genbun itchi-tai [Lariguage use in youth-oriented magazines New style in correspondence of speech and writing[ Gengo Seikatsu 343 4652Google Scholar
Scherer, Klaus et al. , (1988) Emotional experience in cultural context A comparison between Europe, Japan, and the United States In Scherer, Klaus (ed), Facets of emotion Recent research, 530Hillsdale NJErlbaumGoogle Scholar
Scott, James C (1990) Domination and the arts of resistance Hidden transcripts New HavenYale University PressGoogle Scholar
Silverstein, Michael (1976) Shifters, linguistic categories, and cultural description In Basso, Keith H & Selby, Henry A (eds), Meaning in anthropology, 1155AlbuquerqueUniversity of New Mexico PressGoogle Scholar
Smith, Janet, & Schmidt, David (1996) Variability in written Japanese Towards a sociolinguistics of script choice Visible Language 30 4771Google Scholar
Tanizaki, Jun'ichiro (1975) Bunshō dokuhon [Handbook of writing] TōkyōChūōkoronshaGoogle Scholar
Tannen, Deborah (1982) The oral/literate continuum in discourse In Tannen, Deborah (ed), Spoken and written language, 116Norwood, NJAblexGoogle Scholar
Tannen, Deborah (1992) How is conversation like literary discourse? In Downing, Pamela et al. (eds), The linguistics of literacy, 3146AmsterdamBenjaminsCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trudgill, Peter (1972) Sex, covert prestige, and linguistic change in the urban British English of Norwich Language in Society 1 179–95CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Unger, J Marshall (1987) The fifth generation fallacy Oxford &New YorkOxford University PressGoogle Scholar
Urban, Greg (1991) A discourse-centered approach to culture AustinUniversity of Texas PressGoogle Scholar
Wierzbicka, Anna (1986) Human emotions Universal or culture-specific? American Anthropologist 88 584–94CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, Paul (1977) Learning to labour How working class kids get working class jobs LodonSaxon HouseGoogle Scholar
Yamane, Kazuma (1989) Hentai shōjo moji no kenkyū [A study of transformed girls'letters] TokyoKödanshaGoogle Scholar