Cardiff-Japanese Webinar Series: Male Speech? Female Speech? Rethinking Gendered Expressions in Japanese

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Online lecture with Jotaro Arimori, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream at the University of Toronto.

Open to all

The Cardiff-Japanese Lecture Series explores sociocultural aspects of Japanese language learning. The event is funded by the Japan Foundation, London. Recordings of the Cardiff-Japanese Lecture Series are available to watch on our YouTube channel.

About the series

Students of Japanese as a Foreign Language have fewer opportunities to grasp relevant contemporary information or understand cultural contexts because they study outside Japan. Furthermore, recognising Japanese society in a broader sense and considering how their own Japanese language ability may be applied to their own futures are challenges for such learners. It is therefore essential not only to learn the target language but also to know the multifaceted aspects of the country. Moreover, teachers involved in Japanese language education outside Japan need support in obtaining and sharing up-to-date information reflecting many of the current trends and norms in contemporary Japanese society, in order to provide a more authentic learning experience.

The Cardiff-Japanese Lecture Series aims to explore and understand sociocultural aspects of language learning for those studying Japanese language and culture at Cardiff University, as well as various learners, teachers and researchers with an interest in Japan. The series is funded by the Japan Foundation in London.

Abstract

Japanese is often considered a gendered language due to the presence of what are generally believed to be “distinct” speech styles employed based on a speaker's gender. Typically, these variations manifest in the use of personal pronouns, sentence endings, word choices, and the like. Teaching materials commonly present these distinctions in a binary manner, explaining that specific language forms are associated with either men or women. However, analyses of naturally occurring conversations have shown that gendered expressions are not strictly tied to a speaker's gender; instead, they are used to convey and negotiate one's gender identity within a particular context.

This talk aims to discuss linguistic ideologies and actual usages, providing insights into how gendered expressions can be addressed in Japanese language learning and teaching.

Biography

Jotaro Arimori is an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Toronto. He specializes in Japanese language education, focusing primarily on the intersection of gender, sexuality, and Japanese language education. He actively addresses this through workshops and lectures for Japanese language teachers. He co-founded the International Network of Gender, Sexuality & Japanese Language Education (INGS-J), the first scholarly network of its kind. Recently, he co-authored a book for teacher training entitled ‘Thinking Through Cases! The Untold Realities of Japanese Language Education’ (『ケースで考える！誰も教えてくれない日本語教育の現場』Coco Shuppan, 2023).

Event format & recording

The event will take place online as a Zoom webinar and will be recorded for publication after the event.

Simultaneous translation

The event will be delivered in the medium of English. You are welcome to ask questions in the medium of Welsh during the Q&A session. If you intend to do this, please contact mlang-events@cardiff.ac.uk by 14 February 2024 to request simultaneous translation.

Please note that 10% or more of those planning to attend will need to request this provision in order for it to be sourced and will be subject to resource availability.

Registration

Please register for the event.

We apologise that the entire registration page is not available in the medium of Welsh. Unfortunately, the platform we use does not offer this service.

Data protection notice

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