Validation of the "Uchi-Kotoba" Concept Based on an Empirical Comparison of Multiple Computer-Mediated Communication

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19998
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0102:Literature, linguistics, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Social Welfare
• Principal Investigator: Ochiai Kanato 東京福祉大学, 教育学部, 助教 (00962226)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 「打ちことば」 / コーパス / CMC研究 / LINE / 携帯メール / Twitter / YouTube

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this research project is to empirically clarify whether it is effective to assume a concept of "Uchi-kotoba" when discussing language use via computers and cell phones in Japanese linguistics. In recent years, there has been a movement in Japanese linguistics to refer to words produced by computers and cell phones as "Uchi-kotoba," but comparisons of language use in multiple media with different characteristics have yet to be made. In this project, we collected words produced in cell phone e-mail, LINE, Twitter (X), and YouTube, which have been widely used in Japan since the 2000s, and described their commonality and diversity mainly from a quantitative point of view.

Free Research Field

日本語学、CMC研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究課題の意義は、主に欧米の言語を対象とする研究で論じられてきた「CMCを一般化できるかどうか」という問題について、言語自体の特徴も、CMCの利用文化も違う日本語環境を対象に検証することでコンピュータや携帯電話といった道具が人間のことばに与える影響の本質的理解に迫った点にある。本研究課題では、実例を対象とした量的分析を中心的な方法として採用し、同じくCMCであっても多様な日本語使用のあり方があることを記述した。一方で、参加構造や話題の組み立て方、タイムラグといった点でCMCに特有の共通性が生じ得ることも見出すことができた。