Giancarla Unser-Schutz 【ジャンカーラ・ウンサーシュッツ】 | Rissho (original) (raw)
Manga/Comics / Papers by Giancarla Unser-Schutz 【ジャンカーラ・ウンサーシュッツ】
Using a corpus of ten manga series, this article analyzes the impact and meaning of the ratio of ... more Using a corpus of ten manga series, this article analyzes the impact and meaning of the ratio of male to female characters on the popular shōjo-manga and shōnen-manga genres. The data shows that shōnen-manga series tended to be unbalanced in their ratio of gendered characters, with female characters account for less than 20% of spoken lines on average. In comparison, while the number of characters overall was also lower, the ratio of gendered characters was relatively balanced in shōjo-manga, with female characters account for an average of 55% of text. From these results, one can predict that there will be a higher percentage of yakuwari-go （Kinsui, 2003）, or stereotyped speech patterns in shōnen-manga, which is supported by the data on characters’ speech patterns. The higher-use of yakuwari-go not only begs the question of how shōnen-manga might influence readers, but also has an important impact on the stories themselves. In particular, using specific examples from the text, I show that yakuwari-go play an important part of creating humor in the text.
Comics Forum, Nov 24, 2015
This paper examines gendered speech in a corpus of 10 popular manga (Japanese comics) series, wit... more This paper examines gendered speech in a corpus of 10 popular manga (Japanese comics) series, with attention to realism and genre-based differences. While traditionally described as a highly gendered language, Japanese recently appears to be becoming less so. Manga are often given as one influential factor for these changes, particularly regarding girls’ use of masculine first person pronouns; however, previous research has been contradictory, and the importance of gendered-genres leads one to anticipate differences in characters’ speech. In response, I looked at two markers of Japanese gendered speech, personal pronouns and sentence final particles (SFPs), finding that while personal pronoun usage was generally normative, all genders used a variety of gendered SFPs. While genre-based variations such as more stereotypical speech in manga for boys may reflect narrative differences, I suggest that the data show that manga reflect previously established changes, as with SFPs, thus appearing consistent with reports that mass-media are not a clear source of linguistic change. However, their perception as low texts may be influential in their association with negative changes, even when such claims are not supported empirically, as with PPs. In this way, popular media’s role in changing gendered language is shown to be more complex than commonly assumed.
Key words: Manga, Japanese, corpus linguistics, personal pronouns, sentence final particles, yawakuri-go
立正大学心理学部年報, Mar 2015
Genre in manga has been increasingly problematized in recent years, particularly given changing r... more Genre in manga has been increasingly problematized in recent years, particularly given changing readerships across genders; movement away from magazine-centered reading; and increased interest in genre and its functions. As a result, it is no longer taken for granted that orthodox, gendered genre categories function. Given these issues, in this paper I examine how genre has been reinterpreted in recent years, looking at its role in creating meaning and structuring reading experiences. In doing so, I will consider how such analyses might be applied to manga, and offer one such attempt using linguistic data from a corpus of popular shōjo-manga and shōnen-manga series, showing that they differ in key ways such as their use of certain types of text-types and the numbers of characters seen. In particular, shōjo-manga appears to use more text outside of speech bubbles and more realistic speech patterns, whereas shōnen-manga appears to use more specialist terms and stereotyped, yakuwari-go（ role language） speech patterns, shaping shōjo-manga and shōnen-manga as locations of intimacy and fantasy, respectively. However, as expected following recent analyses of genre as fluid and dynamic, these characteristics are not exclusive to either shōjo-manga or shōnen-manga, but rather overlap in crucial ways. The role of comic magazines also becomes apparent as a place to regulate these differences and to allow for gradual change through slight judgment differences of genre. Given the changing role of magazines, however, it is relevant to consider how genre will—or if it can—continue to be regulated as such.
The manner in which manga can reflect and influence readers’ gender perceptions has been a freque... more The manner in which manga can reflect and influence readers’ gender perceptions has been a frequently researched issue. This article is an attempt to consider those questions through language, a traditionally less-examined element, in order to shed new light on how male and female characters are used in manga. To do so, I use a linguistic corpus of ten popular shōjo-manga and shōnen-manga to look at (1) how much of the text found in speech bubbles was spoken by male and female characters; and (2) how many characters were seen. With regards to approximately 80% of all text, the corpus shows that shōnen-manga are extremely skewed towards male characters, compared to shōjo-manga, which is more balanced between female and male characters. While many more characters appear in shōnen-manga, the majority are male. Furthermore, only two female characters in all of the shōnen-manga series account for more than 10% of text, whereas all the shōjo-manga have male characters accounting for over 12%.
In examining why this might be, I suggest that the focus on interpersonal relationships – including both friendship and romance – in shōjo-manga may lead to a smaller cast of characters and better balance between male and female characters. However, with authors usually writing for their own gender, I also maintain that it is related to differences in the roles of women and men in Japanese society. These distributions also have an impact on characterization itself, particularly in regards to the use of gendered speech patterns. With insight from Kinsui’s yakuwari-go, or role-playing language (2003), I specifically argue that the results predict that shōnen-manga will use more stereotypical speech, particularly in depicting female characters. In offering supporting evidence for this hypothesis, I suggest that this may affect how readers engage with the characters, thus creating different types of reading experiences within the genres. Through this discussion, it will become clear that linguistic data can shed light into how characters are manipulated in manga on a variety of levels, thus appealing to its potential as a legitimate and unique approach to manga research.
Keywords: manga, language, gender, characters, corpus linguistics
本論文は、筆者が作成したコーパスを用い、吹き出しの外に書かれる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントの分布と用法を観察することで、マンガにおける言葉の役割を再確認することを目指すものである。吹き出しの外... more 本論文は、筆者が作成したコーパスを用い、吹き出しの外に書かれる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントの分布と用法を観察することで、マンガにおける言葉の役割を再確認することを目指すものである。吹き出しの外に書かれる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントは、吹き出し内の台詞等と類似しているが、視覚的環境・登場人物との関係・物語上の役割という３点において異なっており、また、明らかにするように、少女マンガと少年マンガとで唯一明確な差を示している文字情報の分類である。その理由として、難波（2001）が指摘した少女マンガにおける作者と読者の変化をその理由として挙げ、吹き出し外の手書きの文字情報を用いることで、作者が異なる読み方を提供する可能性を考察する。このように、マンガの言葉を観察することによって得られる情報は、マンガを様々な観点から理解することに貢献することが期待できることを訴える。
While visual aids have largely become accepted as a positive tool for language learning, there ha... more While visual aids have largely become accepted as a positive tool for language learning, there has been less follow-up in evaluating what is offered by such “visual context” for text. In particular, while the principle for successful usage of visual aids in the classroom is to have a high correlation between text and image, this is not a rule necessarily followed by authentic texts. Using Japanese comics or manga as an example, this paper offers real data on some of the linguistic characteristics found in a manga corpus to reconsider what the relationship between text and image may be, arguing that the nondescriptive nature of language in comics demands highly developed interpretative skills. Educators may need to rethink what is meant to be achieved in order to use authentic visual-verbal mixed texts effectively, and several possible ways are suggested.
竹内（２００５）が論じる時間感覚に対する言葉の影響や、キャラクター性を深める機能があるとされている「役割語」（金水２００３）からも分かるように、言葉がマンガにおいて大きな役割を果たしている。しか... more 竹内（２００５）が論じる時間感覚に対する言葉の影響や、キャラクター性を深める機能があるとされている「役割語」（金水２００３）からも分かるように、言葉がマンガにおいて大きな役割を果たしている。しかしながら、文字を媒介してのみ現れる言葉には必ず視覚的な要素が含まれているため、言葉が従来のマンガ研究において視覚的要素ほど重視されてこなかった（中村２００６）。この問題を見直すため、本論文では人気マンガのコーパス（＝言語学的研究のために収集されたデータ）を活用し、吹き出しの外に現れる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントを観察する。線で何を見て読み進むのかをペンで記させるというAllen＆Ingulsrud（２００７）のある実験で、被験者が登場人物の表情より先に言葉に注目するという読み方が一般的であることが明らかになったが、被験者は文字情報を全て読んだ訳ではない。寧ろ、台詞だけ読み、他のものを意図的に読まない人もいた。このように文字情報を区別し読むとき、まず手がかりとなるのは、文字情報の現れ方、つまり吹き出しの中なのか等といった、視覚的な環境であろう。吹き出しに現れる台詞や考え事と主に視覚的環境によって区別できる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントを観察することは、文字情報の視覚的環境と言葉の関係を理解するのに役に立つ可能性がある。
Interest in Japanese manga (comics) has increasingly become an important reason for studying Japa... more Interest in Japanese manga (comics) has increasingly become an important reason for studying Japanese as a second language. As a result, there has also been a trend toward trying to use manga as an educational resource, with claims that it is “realistic” and “easier”. However, with a lack of comprehensive research on language in manga, still much is unknown—a major problem given that understanding how manga function as a medium is essential to utilizing them effectively. By introducing a corpus of eight manga series compiled for linguistic research, this paper considers some of the claimed advantages and disadvantages. To that end, this paper focuses on two points: One, manga’s particular orthographic styles and their effect on ease of reading, and two, realism and stereotypes in gendered speech patterns. While supporting the use of manga as a learning resource, this paper will argue that manga’s linguistic characteristics necessitate more consideration.
In manga studies, a distinction is made between linguistic text (language) and visual language. H... more In manga studies, a distinction is made between linguistic text (language) and visual language. However, because linguistic text is mediated by visual structures, there is a a tendency to assume that it is a secondary element. I would argue, however, that examination of both languages might give a better idea of how manga functions, and start that process here by looking at two manga text types: handwritten lines, thoughts and authorial comments. Visually differentiated from other texts, and more common in series for girls (shōjo-manga), I compare them with Ōtsuka's (1994) highly-visual monologues from 1970s/1980s shōjo-manga, and demonstrate similarities to Takeuchi's (2005) mediator and spectator characters, and argue that these texts offer a sense of closeness to authors while also visually-coding data in terms of relevance. While non-essential secondary text, their visual-encoding offers a space of dynamic interpretation, with readerships able to ignore or read them as per their needs.
While demands for corpora from media which mix visual and linguistic elements have increased in r... more While demands for corpora from media which mix visual and linguistic elements have increased in recent years with developments in corpus-based linguistics research, the actual creation and design of such corpora present many unique problems. Most centrally, there remains much to be considered in terms of how to isolate and meaningfully represent their linguistic data. In line with these trends, in this paper I introduce a 687,654 character (55,415 entries) corpus of the language from Japanese comics (manga). Many of the issues encountered in its design are found with other media – newspaper stories, advertisements, political cartoons – which mix the visual with the linguistic. In addition to describing how such unusual text could be of interest to other researchers, the approaches taken here may help others with similar projects.
文化庁の「平成１９年度国語に関する世論調査」で約４５％の回答者がマンガを若者言葉に影響をもたらすものとして挙げたように，絵と言葉からなるマンガは一種の言語的メディアと一般に認知されている。しか... more 文化庁の「平成１９年度国語に関する世論調査」で約４５％の回答者がマンガを若者言葉に影響をもたらすものとして挙げたように，絵と言葉からなるマンガは一種の言語的メディアと一般に認知されている。しかしながら，マンガ研究の多くは視覚的要素に焦点が置かれていることが多い。ここでは，通常関心の払われることの少ない言語的要素に焦点を定めたい。
まず，今日一般的になっているマンガにおける文字情報の活用法は決して古くから定着したわけではない。竹内オサム（2005年）によると，現在一般的な文字テキストの多くはストーリー・マンガの発達と共に現れたものであり，ストーリーの時空間的な展開を表現をするのに重要な役割を演じている。また，Rommens（2000年）のように，文字を追わずにページだけを追っていくという読み方が，マンガの読み方として主流だとする主張が多いが，読者はまず文字情報を追う方が優先されるという主張もある。実際，読者に自分が目で何を追っているのかをマジックペンで記してもらうという実験的調査によれば殆ど全員がまず台詞を追っていることが分かった（Allen＆Ingulsrud：2009年）。
さらに，読者が，マンガを言語的メディアとして受け止めていることも重要である（上の文化庁調査など）。本研究においては，マンガにおける言語の役割に焦点を当てることにより，マンガがメディアとしてどのように機能しているのか観察する。その第一歩として，発表者が作成したコーパスを活用し，基本的な文字テキストの統計を明らかにしながら，文字テキストの分類と分布を観察する。
While it is commonly accepted that manga (Japanese comics) are a mixed media consisting of writin... more While it is commonly accepted that manga (Japanese comics) are a mixed media consisting of writing (=language) and drawings (=visual), few attempts have been made to examine in detail the role that language plays in manga, emphasizing instead its visual elements. Yet language in manga is not limited to lines, but can be manipulated to express background information through narration, or to create atmospheres with onomatopoeia, and it clearly plays a vital role in manga. Understanding how language is used in manga could prove crucial in understanding how it functions as a medium. Towards that end, I created a corpus of eight popular titles, and identified eight types of text (lines, thoughts, narration, onomatopoeia, background text, background lines/thoughts, comments and titles). Lines were found to form the majority of text, at 71% on average, and thoughts came in second (~14%), suggesting that although language’s primary role is to express characters’ interactions, it is also important in character development by making readers privy to characters’ inner selves. While the remaining categories each averaged less than 5%, individual series varied. Some distributional variances seemed to split along traditional manga genre lines, suggesting one possible direction for language research in manga. (Note: This is the original abstract for the presentation on which this article was based.)
Manga—Japanese comics—are often noted popularly as one location of linguistic change amongst youn... more Manga—Japanese comics—are often noted popularly as one location of linguistic change amongst young Japanese. Attention has been paid particularly to the role that manga play in changing gendered speech, and manga are often noted as an influential factor in young women choosing to use the masculine first personal pronouns ore and boku (e.g., Endo 2001). Research hitherto has, however, focused on conscious surveys and interviews amongst young people on their personal pronoun usage, and not on their actual use in manga. Before one can evaluate the role that manga may play, it is crucial to better grasp how personal pronouns are actually used. Here I attempt that through examining the distribution of personal pronouns in a corpus of popular manga titles.
Manga/Comics / Presentations by Giancarla Unser-Schutz 【ジャンカーラ・ウンサーシュッツ】
1 Today's focus ○Look at how genre has been defined and researched ○Inside and outside of manga ○... more 1 Today's focus ○Look at how genre has been defined and researched ○Inside and outside of manga ○Use corpus to show 3 differences between shōjo/shōnen-manga ○Use of certain text types; terminology; characters' speech patterns ○Examine how these affect how relationships are depicted ○Draw focus [away from]/[to] plots [to]/[from] relationships ○Shape shōjo-manga as a space of active engagement ○Consider how these may influence readers ○Socialization, media and norms 2 Why genre? ○Changes in how manga leading to calls for genre reanalysis ○Generalization of non-aligned reading, especially amongst female readers (Allen &Ingulsrud, 2005; Ogino, 2001) ○Emergence of individual series tankobon as main location of reading with the decline of magazines (Nakano, 2009) ○New analyses of genre ○Research focused on its role to as a form of communication/ discourse ○Renewed focus on role of genre in creating meaning and structuring experiences 3 Defining genre ○Ambiguity as an everyday concept ○Things of the same type? But by what terms? ○Different types of media, e.g.
Aim: Evaluate relationship between text and visual elements in manga, or Japanese comics Will u... more Aim: Evaluate relationship between text and visual elements in manga, or Japanese comics Will use Japanese manga as a base Basic question: How closely is text tied to image? I.e.., how reduplicative is text of the images? Present linguistic data from manga corpus project Preliminary analysis of word frequency Types of words seen may suggest more/less concrete relationship 2 Why manga?
Names / Papers by Giancarla Unser-Schutz 【ジャンカーラ・ウンサーシュッツ】
In recent years in both Japan and the United States, there has been an increased turn-over in the... more In recent years in both Japan and the United States, there has been an increased turn-over in the top-ranking names from year to year, and the names being given themselves appear to be coming from an increasingly diverse pool. Certain similarities in the changes being experienced in these two countries may speak to greater shared characteristics and values of contemporary society. However, while they may appear to be superficially similar, there are in fact many differences behind the changes in naming practices in Japan and the US. Although the rise of unique names in both countries appears to be related to the spread of individualistic values (see Ogihara et al., 2015 on Japan, and Twenge, Abebe, & Campbell, 2010 on the US), many of the changes in naming practices in the United States appear to be related to trends within certain ethnic groups, particularly African Americans. In comparison, while changes in naming practices seem to be more common across the board in Japan, popular discourse suggests that they are being interpreted as a marker of education, and by connection, social class. By comparing how naming practices in Japan and the US have changed over the last 100-plus year period, I seek to show how the analysis of naming practices may be useful for exploring social change.
Following dramatic changes in the names being given to children in Japan, two critical new terms—... more Following dramatic changes in the names being given to children in Japan, two critical new terms— kirakira nēmu [glittery names] and DQN nēmu [stupid/ill-educated names]—have been popularised. Although kirakira nēmu in particular appears to have gained traction as a way of describing unique and difficult to read names, closer examination shows that its usage is in fact inconsistent and is often used to describe a wide variety of names. By analysing how these two terms have developed, it becomes clear that their main consistency is instead how they negatively frame new names. In particular, they are critical of the givers of new names for their lack of consideration for others and for trying to have their children stand out too much. Such criticisms, however, are usually not made from the point of view of the children themselves, and lack a long term vision and understanding of social change. Given certain similarities in how they are constructed, it may be more constructive instead to view the discourse on new names as a part of the larger discourse on youth problems and social change in Japan.
Using a corpus of ten manga series, this article analyzes the impact and meaning of the ratio of ... more Using a corpus of ten manga series, this article analyzes the impact and meaning of the ratio of male to female characters on the popular shōjo-manga and shōnen-manga genres. The data shows that shōnen-manga series tended to be unbalanced in their ratio of gendered characters, with female characters account for less than 20% of spoken lines on average. In comparison, while the number of characters overall was also lower, the ratio of gendered characters was relatively balanced in shōjo-manga, with female characters account for an average of 55% of text. From these results, one can predict that there will be a higher percentage of yakuwari-go （Kinsui, 2003）, or stereotyped speech patterns in shōnen-manga, which is supported by the data on characters’ speech patterns. The higher-use of yakuwari-go not only begs the question of how shōnen-manga might influence readers, but also has an important impact on the stories themselves. In particular, using specific examples from the text, I show that yakuwari-go play an important part of creating humor in the text.
Comics Forum, Nov 24, 2015
This paper examines gendered speech in a corpus of 10 popular manga (Japanese comics) series, wit... more This paper examines gendered speech in a corpus of 10 popular manga (Japanese comics) series, with attention to realism and genre-based differences. While traditionally described as a highly gendered language, Japanese recently appears to be becoming less so. Manga are often given as one influential factor for these changes, particularly regarding girls’ use of masculine first person pronouns; however, previous research has been contradictory, and the importance of gendered-genres leads one to anticipate differences in characters’ speech. In response, I looked at two markers of Japanese gendered speech, personal pronouns and sentence final particles (SFPs), finding that while personal pronoun usage was generally normative, all genders used a variety of gendered SFPs. While genre-based variations such as more stereotypical speech in manga for boys may reflect narrative differences, I suggest that the data show that manga reflect previously established changes, as with SFPs, thus appearing consistent with reports that mass-media are not a clear source of linguistic change. However, their perception as low texts may be influential in their association with negative changes, even when such claims are not supported empirically, as with PPs. In this way, popular media’s role in changing gendered language is shown to be more complex than commonly assumed.
Key words: Manga, Japanese, corpus linguistics, personal pronouns, sentence final particles, yawakuri-go
立正大学心理学部年報, Mar 2015
Genre in manga has been increasingly problematized in recent years, particularly given changing r... more Genre in manga has been increasingly problematized in recent years, particularly given changing readerships across genders; movement away from magazine-centered reading; and increased interest in genre and its functions. As a result, it is no longer taken for granted that orthodox, gendered genre categories function. Given these issues, in this paper I examine how genre has been reinterpreted in recent years, looking at its role in creating meaning and structuring reading experiences. In doing so, I will consider how such analyses might be applied to manga, and offer one such attempt using linguistic data from a corpus of popular shōjo-manga and shōnen-manga series, showing that they differ in key ways such as their use of certain types of text-types and the numbers of characters seen. In particular, shōjo-manga appears to use more text outside of speech bubbles and more realistic speech patterns, whereas shōnen-manga appears to use more specialist terms and stereotyped, yakuwari-go（ role language） speech patterns, shaping shōjo-manga and shōnen-manga as locations of intimacy and fantasy, respectively. However, as expected following recent analyses of genre as fluid and dynamic, these characteristics are not exclusive to either shōjo-manga or shōnen-manga, but rather overlap in crucial ways. The role of comic magazines also becomes apparent as a place to regulate these differences and to allow for gradual change through slight judgment differences of genre. Given the changing role of magazines, however, it is relevant to consider how genre will—or if it can—continue to be regulated as such.
The manner in which manga can reflect and influence readers’ gender perceptions has been a freque... more The manner in which manga can reflect and influence readers’ gender perceptions has been a frequently researched issue. This article is an attempt to consider those questions through language, a traditionally less-examined element, in order to shed new light on how male and female characters are used in manga. To do so, I use a linguistic corpus of ten popular shōjo-manga and shōnen-manga to look at (1) how much of the text found in speech bubbles was spoken by male and female characters; and (2) how many characters were seen. With regards to approximately 80% of all text, the corpus shows that shōnen-manga are extremely skewed towards male characters, compared to shōjo-manga, which is more balanced between female and male characters. While many more characters appear in shōnen-manga, the majority are male. Furthermore, only two female characters in all of the shōnen-manga series account for more than 10% of text, whereas all the shōjo-manga have male characters accounting for over 12%.
In examining why this might be, I suggest that the focus on interpersonal relationships – including both friendship and romance – in shōjo-manga may lead to a smaller cast of characters and better balance between male and female characters. However, with authors usually writing for their own gender, I also maintain that it is related to differences in the roles of women and men in Japanese society. These distributions also have an impact on characterization itself, particularly in regards to the use of gendered speech patterns. With insight from Kinsui’s yakuwari-go, or role-playing language (2003), I specifically argue that the results predict that shōnen-manga will use more stereotypical speech, particularly in depicting female characters. In offering supporting evidence for this hypothesis, I suggest that this may affect how readers engage with the characters, thus creating different types of reading experiences within the genres. Through this discussion, it will become clear that linguistic data can shed light into how characters are manipulated in manga on a variety of levels, thus appealing to its potential as a legitimate and unique approach to manga research.
Keywords: manga, language, gender, characters, corpus linguistics
本論文は、筆者が作成したコーパスを用い、吹き出しの外に書かれる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントの分布と用法を観察することで、マンガにおける言葉の役割を再確認することを目指すものである。吹き出しの外... more 本論文は、筆者が作成したコーパスを用い、吹き出しの外に書かれる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントの分布と用法を観察することで、マンガにおける言葉の役割を再確認することを目指すものである。吹き出しの外に書かれる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントは、吹き出し内の台詞等と類似しているが、視覚的環境・登場人物との関係・物語上の役割という３点において異なっており、また、明らかにするように、少女マンガと少年マンガとで唯一明確な差を示している文字情報の分類である。その理由として、難波（2001）が指摘した少女マンガにおける作者と読者の変化をその理由として挙げ、吹き出し外の手書きの文字情報を用いることで、作者が異なる読み方を提供する可能性を考察する。このように、マンガの言葉を観察することによって得られる情報は、マンガを様々な観点から理解することに貢献することが期待できることを訴える。
While visual aids have largely become accepted as a positive tool for language learning, there ha... more While visual aids have largely become accepted as a positive tool for language learning, there has been less follow-up in evaluating what is offered by such “visual context” for text. In particular, while the principle for successful usage of visual aids in the classroom is to have a high correlation between text and image, this is not a rule necessarily followed by authentic texts. Using Japanese comics or manga as an example, this paper offers real data on some of the linguistic characteristics found in a manga corpus to reconsider what the relationship between text and image may be, arguing that the nondescriptive nature of language in comics demands highly developed interpretative skills. Educators may need to rethink what is meant to be achieved in order to use authentic visual-verbal mixed texts effectively, and several possible ways are suggested.
竹内（２００５）が論じる時間感覚に対する言葉の影響や、キャラクター性を深める機能があるとされている「役割語」（金水２００３）からも分かるように、言葉がマンガにおいて大きな役割を果たしている。しか... more 竹内（２００５）が論じる時間感覚に対する言葉の影響や、キャラクター性を深める機能があるとされている「役割語」（金水２００３）からも分かるように、言葉がマンガにおいて大きな役割を果たしている。しかしながら、文字を媒介してのみ現れる言葉には必ず視覚的な要素が含まれているため、言葉が従来のマンガ研究において視覚的要素ほど重視されてこなかった（中村２００６）。この問題を見直すため、本論文では人気マンガのコーパス（＝言語学的研究のために収集されたデータ）を活用し、吹き出しの外に現れる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントを観察する。線で何を見て読み進むのかをペンで記させるというAllen＆Ingulsrud（２００７）のある実験で、被験者が登場人物の表情より先に言葉に注目するという読み方が一般的であることが明らかになったが、被験者は文字情報を全て読んだ訳ではない。寧ろ、台詞だけ読み、他のものを意図的に読まない人もいた。このように文字情報を区別し読むとき、まず手がかりとなるのは、文字情報の現れ方、つまり吹き出しの中なのか等といった、視覚的な環境であろう。吹き出しに現れる台詞や考え事と主に視覚的環境によって区別できる手書きの台詞・考え事・コメントを観察することは、文字情報の視覚的環境と言葉の関係を理解するのに役に立つ可能性がある。
Interest in Japanese manga (comics) has increasingly become an important reason for studying Japa... more Interest in Japanese manga (comics) has increasingly become an important reason for studying Japanese as a second language. As a result, there has also been a trend toward trying to use manga as an educational resource, with claims that it is “realistic” and “easier”. However, with a lack of comprehensive research on language in manga, still much is unknown—a major problem given that understanding how manga function as a medium is essential to utilizing them effectively. By introducing a corpus of eight manga series compiled for linguistic research, this paper considers some of the claimed advantages and disadvantages. To that end, this paper focuses on two points: One, manga’s particular orthographic styles and their effect on ease of reading, and two, realism and stereotypes in gendered speech patterns. While supporting the use of manga as a learning resource, this paper will argue that manga’s linguistic characteristics necessitate more consideration.
In manga studies, a distinction is made between linguistic text (language) and visual language. H... more In manga studies, a distinction is made between linguistic text (language) and visual language. However, because linguistic text is mediated by visual structures, there is a a tendency to assume that it is a secondary element. I would argue, however, that examination of both languages might give a better idea of how manga functions, and start that process here by looking at two manga text types: handwritten lines, thoughts and authorial comments. Visually differentiated from other texts, and more common in series for girls (shōjo-manga), I compare them with Ōtsuka's (1994) highly-visual monologues from 1970s/1980s shōjo-manga, and demonstrate similarities to Takeuchi's (2005) mediator and spectator characters, and argue that these texts offer a sense of closeness to authors while also visually-coding data in terms of relevance. While non-essential secondary text, their visual-encoding offers a space of dynamic interpretation, with readerships able to ignore or read them as per their needs.
While demands for corpora from media which mix visual and linguistic elements have increased in r... more While demands for corpora from media which mix visual and linguistic elements have increased in recent years with developments in corpus-based linguistics research, the actual creation and design of such corpora present many unique problems. Most centrally, there remains much to be considered in terms of how to isolate and meaningfully represent their linguistic data. In line with these trends, in this paper I introduce a 687,654 character (55,415 entries) corpus of the language from Japanese comics (manga). Many of the issues encountered in its design are found with other media – newspaper stories, advertisements, political cartoons – which mix the visual with the linguistic. In addition to describing how such unusual text could be of interest to other researchers, the approaches taken here may help others with similar projects.
文化庁の「平成１９年度国語に関する世論調査」で約４５％の回答者がマンガを若者言葉に影響をもたらすものとして挙げたように，絵と言葉からなるマンガは一種の言語的メディアと一般に認知されている。しか... more 文化庁の「平成１９年度国語に関する世論調査」で約４５％の回答者がマンガを若者言葉に影響をもたらすものとして挙げたように，絵と言葉からなるマンガは一種の言語的メディアと一般に認知されている。しかしながら，マンガ研究の多くは視覚的要素に焦点が置かれていることが多い。ここでは，通常関心の払われることの少ない言語的要素に焦点を定めたい。
まず，今日一般的になっているマンガにおける文字情報の活用法は決して古くから定着したわけではない。竹内オサム（2005年）によると，現在一般的な文字テキストの多くはストーリー・マンガの発達と共に現れたものであり，ストーリーの時空間的な展開を表現をするのに重要な役割を演じている。また，Rommens（2000年）のように，文字を追わずにページだけを追っていくという読み方が，マンガの読み方として主流だとする主張が多いが，読者はまず文字情報を追う方が優先されるという主張もある。実際，読者に自分が目で何を追っているのかをマジックペンで記してもらうという実験的調査によれば殆ど全員がまず台詞を追っていることが分かった（Allen＆Ingulsrud：2009年）。
さらに，読者が，マンガを言語的メディアとして受け止めていることも重要である（上の文化庁調査など）。本研究においては，マンガにおける言語の役割に焦点を当てることにより，マンガがメディアとしてどのように機能しているのか観察する。その第一歩として，発表者が作成したコーパスを活用し，基本的な文字テキストの統計を明らかにしながら，文字テキストの分類と分布を観察する。
While it is commonly accepted that manga (Japanese comics) are a mixed media consisting of writin... more While it is commonly accepted that manga (Japanese comics) are a mixed media consisting of writing (=language) and drawings (=visual), few attempts have been made to examine in detail the role that language plays in manga, emphasizing instead its visual elements. Yet language in manga is not limited to lines, but can be manipulated to express background information through narration, or to create atmospheres with onomatopoeia, and it clearly plays a vital role in manga. Understanding how language is used in manga could prove crucial in understanding how it functions as a medium. Towards that end, I created a corpus of eight popular titles, and identified eight types of text (lines, thoughts, narration, onomatopoeia, background text, background lines/thoughts, comments and titles). Lines were found to form the majority of text, at 71% on average, and thoughts came in second (~14%), suggesting that although language’s primary role is to express characters’ interactions, it is also important in character development by making readers privy to characters’ inner selves. While the remaining categories each averaged less than 5%, individual series varied. Some distributional variances seemed to split along traditional manga genre lines, suggesting one possible direction for language research in manga. (Note: This is the original abstract for the presentation on which this article was based.)
Manga—Japanese comics—are often noted popularly as one location of linguistic change amongst youn... more Manga—Japanese comics—are often noted popularly as one location of linguistic change amongst young Japanese. Attention has been paid particularly to the role that manga play in changing gendered speech, and manga are often noted as an influential factor in young women choosing to use the masculine first personal pronouns ore and boku (e.g., Endo 2001). Research hitherto has, however, focused on conscious surveys and interviews amongst young people on their personal pronoun usage, and not on their actual use in manga. Before one can evaluate the role that manga may play, it is crucial to better grasp how personal pronouns are actually used. Here I attempt that through examining the distribution of personal pronouns in a corpus of popular manga titles.
1 Today's focus ○Look at how genre has been defined and researched ○Inside and outside of manga ○... more 1 Today's focus ○Look at how genre has been defined and researched ○Inside and outside of manga ○Use corpus to show 3 differences between shōjo/shōnen-manga ○Use of certain text types; terminology; characters' speech patterns ○Examine how these affect how relationships are depicted ○Draw focus [away from]/[to] plots [to]/[from] relationships ○Shape shōjo-manga as a space of active engagement ○Consider how these may influence readers ○Socialization, media and norms 2 Why genre? ○Changes in how manga leading to calls for genre reanalysis ○Generalization of non-aligned reading, especially amongst female readers (Allen &Ingulsrud, 2005; Ogino, 2001) ○Emergence of individual series tankobon as main location of reading with the decline of magazines (Nakano, 2009) ○New analyses of genre ○Research focused on its role to as a form of communication/ discourse ○Renewed focus on role of genre in creating meaning and structuring experiences 3 Defining genre ○Ambiguity as an everyday concept ○Things of the same type? But by what terms? ○Different types of media, e.g.
Aim: Evaluate relationship between text and visual elements in manga, or Japanese comics Will u... more Aim: Evaluate relationship between text and visual elements in manga, or Japanese comics Will use Japanese manga as a base Basic question: How closely is text tied to image? I.e.., how reduplicative is text of the images? Present linguistic data from manga corpus project Preliminary analysis of word frequency Types of words seen may suggest more/less concrete relationship 2 Why manga?
In recent years in both Japan and the United States, there has been an increased turn-over in the... more In recent years in both Japan and the United States, there has been an increased turn-over in the top-ranking names from year to year, and the names being given themselves appear to be coming from an increasingly diverse pool. Certain similarities in the changes being experienced in these two countries may speak to greater shared characteristics and values of contemporary society. However, while they may appear to be superficially similar, there are in fact many differences behind the changes in naming practices in Japan and the US. Although the rise of unique names in both countries appears to be related to the spread of individualistic values (see Ogihara et al., 2015 on Japan, and Twenge, Abebe, & Campbell, 2010 on the US), many of the changes in naming practices in the United States appear to be related to trends within certain ethnic groups, particularly African Americans. In comparison, while changes in naming practices seem to be more common across the board in Japan, popular discourse suggests that they are being interpreted as a marker of education, and by connection, social class. By comparing how naming practices in Japan and the US have changed over the last 100-plus year period, I seek to show how the analysis of naming practices may be useful for exploring social change.
Following dramatic changes in the names being given to children in Japan, two critical new terms—... more Following dramatic changes in the names being given to children in Japan, two critical new terms— kirakira nēmu [glittery names] and DQN nēmu [stupid/ill-educated names]—have been popularised. Although kirakira nēmu in particular appears to have gained traction as a way of describing unique and difficult to read names, closer examination shows that its usage is in fact inconsistent and is often used to describe a wide variety of names. By analysing how these two terms have developed, it becomes clear that their main consistency is instead how they negatively frame new names. In particular, they are critical of the givers of new names for their lack of consideration for others and for trying to have their children stand out too much. Such criticisms, however, are usually not made from the point of view of the children themselves, and lack a long term vision and understanding of social change. Given certain similarities in how they are constructed, it may be more constructive instead to view the discourse on new names as a part of the larger discourse on youth problems and social change in Japan.
It has been widely reported that Japanese naming practices are changing dramatically. These chang... more It has been widely reported that Japanese naming practices are changing dramatically. These changesareespeciallyimportantinregardstonamesandgender.Becauseoneofthemostprominent differences is the decline of the use of name-exclusive suffixes, which usually express their owner's gender,theirdeclinesuggeststhattheremaybechangesinhowgenderisexpressedinnames.This article observed how the characteristics of men's and women's names have changed through using datafromanapproximately100yearperiodfromMeijiYasudaLifeInsurance.Asaresult,itwasdis-coveredthatatthebeginningofthe20 th century,men'snamesweremorediversethanwomen's,but women'snamesarenowsimilarlyormorediverse.Inaddition,previouslypopular-koand-misuffixes forwomenarenowessentiallyoutofuse,andmen'ssuffixeshaveallchanged.Finally,therewereno namesthatrankedinthetop-10foranyyearforbothmenandwomen,andthepoolofkanjicommon betweenmen'sandwomen'snameswassmall.Fromtheseresults,itcanbearguedthatinsteadof suffixes,theuseofthekanjithemselvescanhelpdifferentiatethegenderofanygivenname.
The International Association for Japan Studies Newsletter
立正大学心理学研究所紀要
Recently, Japanese names given to children are said to be undergoing dramatic change, particularl... more Recently, Japanese names given to children are said to be undergoing dramatic change, particularly in the ways that they use kanji, making them difficult to read. Criticism of such names—often called DQN neemu （‘stupid/ill-educated names’） or kirakira neemu （‘glittery names’）—has been generally negative, focusing on a perceived ignorance of parents for using kanji‘ inappropriately’ and their lack of consideration for those who must read them. However, by looking at how such names are talked about in the media and their emergence as a phenomenon, I show that such criticism may not be entirely fair, particularly in that it has primarily been made not by parents or children involved in the giving of such names, but by third parties lacking a full vision of the naming process. In addition, criticism of new names has generally lacked appropriate consideration of history and processes of change, in the sense that it tends to be based on faulty considerations of (1) previous naming practices and (2) how such changes will affect the name-landscapes, so to speak, of the future. Instead, I suggest that new names may be seen as part of the larger discourse on youth problems, thus locating the sense of crisis often expressed within their criticism within a larger framework of socialization and social change.
近年においては、日本の名前が大きく変わりつつあると言われており、最近の名前の新しい特徴として、漢字の用法が特殊で、一般的に読みにくいことが挙げられている。「DQN ネーム」や「キラキラネーム」とも呼ばれている新しい名前に対する批判が、通常でない漢字の読みを用いること・それらの名前を読まないといけない他者のことを充分配慮していないことに着目しており、全体的に厳しい。しかしながら、新しい名前のメディアにおける語られ方や、現象としての出現を考察することにより、そういった批判的評価は必ずしも適切なものではないことが明らかになる。とくに、新しい名前の評価が名付け親でも名付けられた子どもでもない第三者を中心に行われているため、名付ける理由と背景が充分に考慮されていないと考えられる。さらに、過去の名付けの傾向と今後の変遷の推移が把握し難いため、名前に対する批判が歴史性に欠けていることが指摘できる。こういったことを踏まえ、新しい名前が若者問題の一つと考えられ、名付けにおける変遷を社会化・社会変化というより大きな枠組みの中に位置付けることができると論じる。
While Japan is often said to be homogenous in population, recent years have seen an increase in f... more While Japan is often said to be homogenous in population, recent years have seen an increase in foreign residents, making it interesting to consider if the same patterns of adaptation of names found in other countries could be observed. A survey amongst foreign residents of Japan showed that while adaptation of names in their pronunciation was common, it was generally uncommon to use Japanese personal names. However, people of Asian heritage used them more commonly. It is suggested that the binary positioning of Japanese identities may make it difficult for some foreigners to take Japanese names, with additional factors such as racial expectations for foreigners possibly influencing some groups’ ability to take Japanese names.
Keywords: Japan, immigrants, personal names, identity, adaptation, foreigners, race
Although Japanese universities are being pressured to become more global, many are still struggli... more Although Japanese universities are being pressured to become more global, many are still struggling to develop effective core English curricula. This paper describes one such faculty's attempts to improve its program. Having faced severe student dissatisfaction with English courses, the faculty reanalyzed its English needs and identified two problems: unclear curriculum guidelines and insufficient course linking. New course guidelines were written to outline the curriculum and a common textbook was adopted to offer consistency across course sections. Follow-up surveys suggested that the common textbook increased communication between students and was effective in reducing content-based differences. However, students became more conscious of differences between instructors, suggesting a greater need to address differing teaching styles head-on. Initiating changes for improvement lessened some problems but also brought up unpre-dicted new issues. Effective efforts for improvement must have long-term vision and be adaptable to change over time.
giancarlaunserschutz@ris.ac.jp Using a corpus of popular manga, I analyze how sentence... more giancarlaunserschutz@ris.ac.jp Using a corpus of popular manga, I analyze how sentence final expressions used in inner speech representing characters' thoughts differ from conversational lines. While all language is often considered to be dialogic, there are many instances where speech is aimed at the speakers themselves, and such self-directed speech appears to have important psychological functions . While thoughts in manga have similarities with Hasegawa's (2010) soliloquies, their use of sentence final expressions differs in important ways from both soliloquies and conversational lines, suggesting that they may further our understanding of interaction, dialogue and language.
![Research paper thumbnail of Unser-Schutz, Giancarla (2013). The role of language in manga: From the point of view of structure, vocabulary and characters. [Dissertation]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/35451175/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](![Research paper thumbnail of 中島 由美、森村敏己、井川ちとせ、山崎誠(2013). 博士論文審査要旨/Dissertation evaluation abstract for Giancarla Unser-Schutz (in Japanese) [Dissertation title: The role of language in manga: From the point of view of structure, vocabulary and characters]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/35451243/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](論文題目：THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN MANGA: FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF STRUCTURE, VOCABULARY AND CHARACTER... more 論文題目：THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN MANGA: FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF STRUCTURE, VOCABULARY AND CHARACTERS
著者：ウンサーシュッツ ジャンカーラ （UNSER-SCHUTZ, Giancarla）
論文審査委員：中島 由美、森村 敏己、井川 ちとせ、山崎 誠
![Research paper thumbnail of Unser-Schutz, Giancarla (2013). 博士論文要旨/Dissertation abstract (in Japanese) [Dissertation title: The role of language in manga: From the point of view of structure, vocabulary and characters]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/35451231/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](論文題目：THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN MANGA: FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF STRUCTURE, VOCABULARY AND CHARACTER... more 論文題目：THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN MANGA: FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF STRUCTURE, VOCABULARY AND CHARACTERS
著者：ウンサーシュッツ ジャンカーラ （UNSER-SCHUTZ, Giancarla）
博士号取得年月日：2013年6月28日
JALT Postconference Publication, 2018
Teacher/researchers of diverse backgrounds worked collaboratively to deconstruct native-speakeris... more Teacher/researchers of diverse backgrounds worked collaboratively to deconstruct native-speakerism. Native-speakerist ideology has been recognized as an important issue since the ‘nonnative speaker’ English teachers’ movement in the 1990s. However, change has been slow, as illustrated by the studies presented here. The first section focuses on teachers in the commercial sector in Japan. Discriminatory hiring practices are rampant, and what is equally disturbing is how teachers are dispatched by such companies to public or private educational institutions. Duoethnography is used in the second study to deconstruct the ways in which native-speakerism affects perceptions of instructors, based on the superficial labeling of ‘native’ and ‘nonnative speaker’ teachers. The paper concludes with a pilot study on student experiences and attitudes toward ‘native’ and ‘nonnative speaker’ teachers that revealed that students do not necessarily believe in the superiority of ‘native speaker’ teachers. In the appendix, a checklist is provided for readers to deconstruct the influences of native-speakerism on their respective workplaces.