21 Exploring Made in Japan English (Wasei Eigo) w. Anne Crescini

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast we're talking about the Japanese language and the very interesting linguistic phenomenon of "made in Japan English" (wasei eigo).

Anne Crescini is an Associate Professor at the University of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture. She has conducted extensive research on the linguistic phenomenon of wasei eigo ("made in Japan English") and has even written a book on the subject called Petto Botoru wa Eigo Ja nai tte Shittō to!? (English: Did you know that "PET Bottle" is not an English word!?). Aside from teaching and her work on wasei eigo, Anne regularly appears on Japanese television, writes a column for a Fukuoka newspaper, and makes her own miso. Anne is also well-known for her mastery of the Hakata dialect.

In this episode we discuss:

• The various types of words that make up the Japanese language
• The various languages of origin of gairaigo (loanwords/foreign origin words in Japanese)
• What wasei eigo is
• Examples of wasei eigo
• What a "handle keeper" (handoru kīpā)
• What a "paper driver" is (pēpā)
• What "magic tape" (majikku tēpu) is
• What "skinship" is
• How the need for efficient communication shapes the words people use
• Possible reasons why wasei eigo came to be so prevalent
• How wasei eigo can be confusing for both English-speakers and Japanese-speakers
• Why Anne moved to Japan
• How Anne became interested in the Japanese language and researching it
• The changing nature of language
• Recent Japanese slang such as the use of wanchan and futsū ni (murai, oishii, etc)
• The use of re-tasu kotoba
• The use of ra-nuki kotoba
• The importance of knowing when you should speak formal Japanese versus casual Japanese
• Anne's interest in cooking Japanese food
• The potential probiotic benefits of making one's own miso
• And much more!

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For full show notes visit www.japanstationpodcast.com.