Creating a Mock-Western Identity Through English in Japanese Ads

Abstract

This study focuses on the forms and purposes of English codeswitching behaviour in Japanese advertising discourse today. By investigating a limited set of data, that of Japanese chocolate wrappers, a picture emerges of the way the global commodity of English is exploited primarily as a metaphor invoking a ‘mock-Western’ identity. The various playful techniques Japanese admen employ to achieve these ends are analyzed and illustrated. Among the linguistic ploys uncovered include the extensive use of the Latin alphabets to encode items that are originally part of the Japanese language, the adoption of Western-style names and the exploitation of snappy, short slogans that work like charms. The ideological dimensions behind the commercial discourse are also explored in connection to the theory of global English domination and the common convention of segregating English and Japanese to different spatial zones in the copy layout. Throughout the study, the cosmetic construction of a Western-style identity enhanced by resources drawn from English and the Roman script is referred to by a term coined by the researcher, namely linguistic ‘occidentalization’. Ultimately, it can be concluded from the study that Japanese admen manipulate English in a way that leads to the defusion and containment of its inherent potential threat as a carrier of neo-imperialist domination.