This text highlights the shift in language planning and language change in Japan against a background of significant socio-cultural, political and economic change, and places them in a comparative context.

Highlights the shift in language planning and language change in Japan at the end of the 20th century against a background of significant socio-cultural, political, and economic change and places them in a comparative context. Issues investigated include the concept of disorder in language; changes in official language; changing attitudes to regional dialects; and the impact of globalisation and technological advances.

Over the last thirty years, two social developments have occurred that have led to a need for change in language policy in Japan. One is the increase in the number of migrants needing opportunities to learn Japanese as a second language, the other is the influence of electronic technologies on the way Japanese is written. This book looks at the impact of these developments on linguistic behaviour and language management and policy, and at the role of language ideology in the way they have been addressed. Immigration-induced demographic changes confront long cherished notions of national monolingualism and technological advances in electronic text production have led to textual practices with ramifications for script use and for literacy in general. The book will be welcomed by researchers and professionals in language policy and management and by those working in Japanese Studies.

Japan is regarded as a model case of successful language modernization. It is also often erroneously believed to be linguistically homogenous. This book explores the debates relating to language modernization from a language ideology perspective, and in doing so reveals the mechanisms by which language ideology undermines linguistic diversity.

This book analyses how linguistic diversity in Japan, and indeed recognition of this phenomenon, presents a wide range of sociolinguistic challenges and opportunities in fundamental institutions such as schools, in cultural patterns and in social behaviours and attitudes.

Die Beiträge zum diesjährigen Schwerpunktthema „Grenzgänge – (De-)Konstruktion kollektiver Identitäten in Japan" zeigen in Form von Fallstudien im Verein mit theoretischen Überlegungen zum Diskurs über Differenz, Homogenität und Divergenz eine Möglichkeit auf, den Topos von der japanischen Gruppenorientiertheit, der u.a. ein zentrales Argument in der Nihonjinron-Debatte bildet, neu zu beleuchten. Zwar vermögen die sich vornehmlich mit marginalisierten gesellschaftlichen Gruppen befassenden Beiträge nicht alle Aspekte der Fragestellung abzudecken, die sich ja auch beispielsweise auf die Interdependenz mehrerer Gruppen bezieht. Oftmals aber konnten durch Schwerpunktthemen eines Jahrbuchs Anstöße zu weiterer Forschung gegeben werden, die dann bisweilen in späteren Ausgaben der Japanstudien dokumentiert wurden. Möge auch dieses Thema seine Fruchtbarkeit längerfristig unter Beweis stellen.

This Companion provides a comprehensive overview of the influences that have shaped modern-day Japan. Spanning one and a half centuries from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 to the beginning of the twenty-first century, this volume covers topics such as technology, food, nationalism and rise of anime and manga in the visual arts. The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture traces the cultural transformation that took place over the course of the twentieth century, and paints a picture of a nation rich in cultural diversity. With contributions from some of the most prominent scholars in the field, The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture is an authoritative introduction to this subject.

Language Planning from Practice to Theory examines and reviews the field of language policy and planning. In the first section of the book language policy and planning definitions, current practices, goals and ways of thinking are discussed as a foundation for understanding current practice in the discipline. The central elements of language policy and planning practice are then described from two perspectives. In the second section, the methodology for collecting language planning data is outlined and the key cross-societal issues of language-in-education planning, literacy and economics in language planning are discussed. In the third section, case studies related to language and power, bilingualism and status and specific purpose issues in language planning are covered. The final two chapters draw together the critical issues and problems which have arisen from current practice and which must be considered in building a theory of the discipline. A reference appendix to language planning in national situations is included. The book provides the only up-to-date overview and review of the field of language policy and planning and challenges language planners to think more critically about their discipline. Since language will be planned, there is a need to consider how it will be done.