Unit 2: The Influence of Language and Culture on Identity

Identity

How you understand yourself and how others understand you (roles, group memberships, personal traits), performed and negotiated in real time through language and culturally shaped behavior.

Language (as an identity tool)

A powerful way to signal and shape relationships and self-presentation through choices like politeness, closeness, and stance.

Culture

Shared expectations that give meaning to language choices; the same phrase can feel friendly in one culture but rude or too direct in another.

Register

The speech style you choose based on situation and relationship; in Japanese it strongly signals the identity/role you are taking in the moment.

丁寧語 (ていねいご)

Polite style in Japanese, typically using です／ます; often creates respectful distance and matches many public/official contexts.

普通体 (ふつうたい)

Plain/casual style used with friends, family, and informal settings; often signals closeness and in-group membership.

敬語 (けいご)

Japanese system encoding respect and social positioning; requires mapping hierarchy and in-group/out-group relationships in language.

尊敬語 (そんけいご)

Honorific language that raises the status/action of the other person (the respected person as the subject).

謙譲語 (けんじょうご)

Humble language that lowers your own (or your in-group’s) actions when relating to an out-group, often in public/professional settings.

内／外 (うち／そと)

“Inside vs outside” group boundaries in Japanese social life; affects politeness, directness, and how you refer to your own group to outsiders.

遠慮 (えんりょ)

Restraint/holding back to avoid imposing; often tied to expectations of politeness and harmony in Japanese interaction.

謙虚 (けんきょ)

Humility; a valued stance often expressed through language (including humble forms) to avoid sounding superior.

空気を読む (くうきをよむ)

“Read the air”—sensing unspoken expectations and adjusting behavior/language to preserve harmony and social fit.

相槌 (あいづち)

Listener backchannel responses (e.g., うん／はい／なるほど) that show engagement and help maintain conversational rhythm in Japanese.

呼び捨て (よびすて)

Calling someone by their name without a suffix; typically limited to close relationships and can sound rude if used too early.

あなた (pragmatic use)

A second-person term often avoided with teachers/strangers because it can sound overly direct; names/titles or omission are frequently preferred.

私 (わたし)

Common first-person pronoun; generally neutral/polite and widely safe in AP interpersonal and formal contexts.

俺 (おれ)

Casual first-person pronoun often associated with a masculine/rough persona; can be inappropriate in formal or unfamiliar contexts.

あたし

Casual first-person pronoun often associated with a feminine/soft persona; usage depends on context and speaker identity.

方言 (ほうげん)

Regional dialects of Japanese; can mark regional identity, in-group intimacy, and a public vs private self (dialect vs standard).

標準語 (ひょうじゅんご)

Standard Japanese taught in schools and associated with Tokyo; promoted after the Meiji Restoration to unify the nation.

Code-switching (dialect/standard shifting)

Switching speech style (e.g., 標準語 vs 方言) depending on setting and audience to match identity and social context.

外来語 (がいらいご)

Loanwords from foreign languages, commonly written in katakana (e.g., コンピュータ).

和製英語 (わせいえいご)

“Japan-made English” terms that look English but have different meanings in Japanese (e.g., サラリーマン).

漢字 (かんじ)

Meaning-based characters adopted from China; used widely in Japanese writing and often provide meaning clues in context.

音読み (おんよみ)

The Chinese-derived pronunciation of a kanji character.

訓読み (くんよみ)

The native Japanese reading of a kanji character.

ひらがな

Phonetic script (46 basic characters) used for Japanese grammar elements and native words; typically learned first.

カタカナ

Phonetic script (46 basic characters) used for foreign/loanwords, emphasis, onomatopoeia, and many technical/scientific terms.

Softener (in Japanese pragmatics)

A word/phrase that reduces directness and pressure in requests/refusals (e.g., すみませんが, もしよければ, ちょっと…).

もしよければ

“If it’s okay with you”; a common softener that makes requests/suggestions sound less imposing.

すみません

Used for apologies, getting attention, and sometimes indirect thanks; a key phrase for smoothing interactions.

失礼します (しつれいします)

“Excuse me/forgive my rudeness”; a set phrase used when entering/leaving, interrupting, or being formally polite.

お願いします (おねがいします)

“Please/I request”; a versatile polite phrase used to ask favors or make requests.

よろしくお願いします

A relationship-building phrase roughly meaning “please treat me favorably”; common in email closings and introductions.

Interpretive mode (AP)

Listening/reading to infer meaning and identity cues (relationship, setting, status) from evidence like register, titles, and indirectness.

Interpersonal mode (AP)

Two-way communication (email, conversation) where success depends on appropriate register, politeness, softeners, and engagement.

Presentational mode (AP)

One-way communication (speech/essay) that must be organized and connect cultural products/practices to perspectives (values/ideas).

Cultural Comparison (AP task)

A presentational task comparing Japan and your community by linking examples to underlying cultural perspectives (with nuance, not stereotypes).

侘び寂び (wabi-sabi)

An aesthetic valuing beauty in imperfection and impermanence; rooted in Zen and developed strongly in Japan (notably from the 15th century).

もののあわれ (mono no aware)

A bittersweet awareness of impermanence and the fleeting nature of life, often tied to empathy and seasonal sensitivity.

間 (ま, ma)

Valuing space/gaps and rhythm (negative space) in art, design, and music; emphasizes what is not present.

幽玄 (ゆうげん, yūgen)

Beauty in mystery, depth, and subtlety; often associated with Noh theater and meanings beyond words.

渋い (しぶい, shibui)

Understated, simple, refined beauty; minimal and calm rather than flashy.

粋 (いき, iki)

Aesthetic of spontaneity and individuality; values authentic, unique expression and personal “quirks.”

和食 (わしょく)

Traditional Japanese food culture; registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013, reflecting values like seasonality and respect for nature.

一汁三菜 (いちじゅうさんさい)

“One soup, three dishes” meal structure emphasizing variety and nutritional balance; often linked to healthy eating and use of umami.

おせち料理

New Year’s foods symbolizing good luck and prosperity (e.g., 伊達巻 for knowledge; 黒豆 for health/diligence).

節分 (せつぶん)

Seasonal event with practices like 豆まき (“鬼は外、福は内”) and sometimes 恵方巻き; connected to health, luck, and tradition.

甲子園 (こうしえん)

Widely known high school baseball tournaments (選抜高校野球) that symbolize teamwork, perseverance, and community/prefectural pride.