Technology and the writing system in Japan

要旨

The modernist ideology of Japan as a monoethnic, monolingual nation was pressed into service for purposes of nation building in early part of modern period. It has proven remarkably durable, but it has never been based on reality; rather, it has deliberately overlooked existence of languages of indigenous and ethnic communities within borders of state. Now, in late modernity, it is no longer possible to ignore on-the-ground reality of multilingualism deriving both from long established oldcomer ethnic communities and from newcomer communities of migrants which have been steadily growing since 1980s as a result of globalization. In addition, government's increased emphasis on English-language learning over last two decades has promoted awareness that old discursive order of monolingualism is no longer sustainable. Ideas and practices that once formed part of a bedrock of national emotional security, the way things are (and should be) done, are therefore now being re-examined in light of actual practice.This chapter will discuss technology-mediated change and diversity in one such cherished area, Japanese writing system, in particular those changes which represent a departure from writing's standards of modernity as embodied in set of conventions specified in current script policies. The last 30 years in Japan have seen a quiet revolution in writing practices which could not have been foreseen by those who formulated those policies, which were predicated upon a culture of handwriting. Since early 1980s, invention and rapid uptake of word processing has resulted in a sustained engagement with technology which has led to increased use of non-standard orthography in personal communications online.© 2011 Selection and editorial matter, Patrick Heinrich and Christian Galan. Individual chapters contributors.

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