The Japanese Linguistic Landscape: Reflections on Quintessential Words

by Nakanishi Susumu, Nakanishi Kimiko (Photographer), Ryan Shaldjian Morrison (Translator)

Languages change over time. No matter how hard we try to control and regulate them, they exist in a state of endless metamorphosis. This does not mean, though, that we should simply stand by and watch as language devolves into nonsense.

What should we do, then? Recognizing the inevitability of change is a given, of course. But we must also navigate the delicate line between the pull of popular trends and the urge to cling blindly to the ways of the past. The ideal balance, Professor Nakanishi argues in this book, lies in being “one step behind the times,” which is the best approach for wielding all the charms of a language.

Beautiful words have an ageless quality, regardless of when they first appeared in a language. The Japanese language testifies to that truth. This book introduces a balanced mix of new and old words that reflect the singular beauty of the Japanese language.

The beautiful words of the Japanese language are not—as some people say—simply old, antiquated terms. Discerning beauty in a language requires more than having an antiquarian’s ear; it requires certain sensibilities and sensitivities. Only by submerging ourselves in a language can we perceive its splendid subtleties, and appreciate its true beauty.

This book offers readers an opportunity to delve into to those nuances of Japanese, explore the language’s history, and savor its unique beauty.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language

304 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2019

About the author

Dr. Nakanishi Susumu (b. 1929, Tokyo) is a leading scholar of classical Japanese literature. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo. His previous academic positions include Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken), Visiting Professor at Princeton University, President of Osaka Women’s University, and President of Kyoto City University of Arts. He currently serves as Director of the Koshinokuni Museum of Literature (Toyama Prefecture) and President of the Japan Scholarship Foundation. He has served as an affiliate member of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ), President of the Japan Comparative Literature Association (JCLA), and President of the East Asian Comparative Culture International Congress. He is the recipient of the Japan Academy Prize, the Yomiuri Prize for Literature, the Osaragi Jirō Prize, the Watsuji Tetsurō Culture Prize, and the Kikuchi Kan Prize. In 2013, he was awarded Order of Culture, Japan’s top prize for cultural contribution.

Reviews

[Books on Asia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nakanishi Susumu's book The Japanese Linguistic Landscape: Reflections on Quintessential Words is essential reading for any poet or reader of Japanese poetry. Nakanishi, a noted poet himself, digs up beautiful Japanese words from the past and more tenable ones from present, and reflects on each entry's beauty and appropriateness to nature and living things. He laments those that have passed out of use, such as certain words from the Manyōshū, Kojiki, and Sei Shōnagon's Pillow Book and longingly brings them back to life for the reader. He tells us why certain Japanese words are so aesthetically pleasing over others in common use. Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the book is how the author connects on a personal level with many of these words through experiences in his childhood; Nakanishi was a young boy with a precocious ear for the musicality of language.

The words are divided into collections under the three chapter headings of "Words about Nature," "Words about the Four Seasons and Living Things," and "Words about the Human Heart." In addition, there is a short chapter tagged onto the end of the book called "Essays on Modes of Living" which is a nice alternative read to end the volume with.

Some of my favorite words from this monograph are: kagiori (hot waves shimmering in air), fujinami (wisteria blooms swaying in the breeze), hikobae (fresh shoots from tree stumps) and tebon (passing a bowl without using a tray).

The author is keen to fill in for the reader the historical literary uses of such words, as in his explanation of utakata (foam) from the chapter "Words about the Human Heart:"

"When you mention the word utakata, Japanese people immediately recall the opening passage of Kamo no Chōmei's classic essay Hōjōki (An Account of My Hut, 1212):

The current of the flowing river does not cease, and yet the water is not the same water as before. The foam [utakata] that floats on stagnant pools, now vanishing, now forming, never stays the same for long. So, too, it is with the people and dwellings of the world.

The 'foam'(utakata) that Kamo no Chōmei describes is certainly real: it appears, disappears, and then appears once again, giving it an ever-changing, elusive quality."

In this way, Nakanishi brings together words, meanings, and aesthetics into the realm of the unsuspecting reader, who now has gained insight into Japanese literature and poetic references.

The Japanese Linguistic Landscape, translated into English by Ryan Shaldjian Morrison and published by Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, is available in both hardback and e-book forms. I highly recommend the hardback version as you will want to have this on your shelf for easy reference. In addition, the layout is quite appealing, with hiragana calligraphy headings for each word, and representative photography by Nakanishi Kimiko.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed this book. It was the type of book you would find in a gift shop--very inspirational. It discussed the meaning and origins of words or concepts in Japanese. I don't know any Japanese but found this book moderately interesting.

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

やまとし　うるはし

[Simona Kumpė · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teacher of the Japanese language, I have been always fascinated by the Japanese aesthetics and its expression in language. It’s no secret that there are a lot of expressions in Japanese language describing the nature, the change of seasons, the living creatures in that nature, etc. the meaning of which is rather difficult to understand, not to mention to translate, for somebody who is not a native speaker.
The Japanese Linguistic Landscape can become rather handy for those struggling with understanding certain Japanese words, but it is not meant to be a dictionary. Not even close. Nakanishi Susumu presents the reflections on certain Japanese words, by providing not only their meaning, but also etymology, literary works where they are found and various connotations those words have.
The words and expressions presented in this book are not used in everyday Japanese language, or not used anymore at all. Therefore, it is not a book for someone who wants to learn the language, but rather to a reader who feels the excitement while deciphering the original meaning behind the word and learning the whole story of what that word represents and what thoughts it brings to the author.
That is why the audience of the readers is not limited to those who know the Japanese language. I would argue that even the readers not familiar with this language, but having interest semantics might find this book interesting.
After reading this book I cannot say I have learned new words or expressions, but I definitely have felt them.