2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
On the social burden of new difficult to read names
| Project/Area Number |
25770160
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Linguistics
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| Research Institution | Rissho University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2013-04-01 – 2018-03-31
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| Keywords | 命名学 / 名前 / 漢字 / 社会学 / 社会言語学 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This research project sought to elucidate how naming practices are changing in Japan, and how these changes reflect contemporary society and the burden new names--which are often said to be difficult to read--may present to others. In a country-wide study of naming patterns, it was found that new, difficult to read names are indeed increasing across Japan. However, analysis of the characteristics of the names shows that only a small percentage of names used the kinds of readings often criticized in the media such as non-established (ateji) reading; rather, the majority were based upon regular, established kanji readings. Further studies on the response to new names in the media and how parents choose names showed that names are often seen as a reflection of changing family relationships and understandings of individuality. Thus, criticism of new names can be interpreted as being not caused by the difficulty of the names, but rather because they are seen as symbols of changing values.
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| Free Research Field |
社会言語学
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