Explore the impact of one language on the other language(s) at different levels The impact of the Chinese language on the Japanese language Introduction
The Great Transliteration Movement
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| The Great Transliteration Movement
The Great Transliteration Movement, otherwise known as the Daikanyōda, was a widespread project that was brought forth in Japan during the Meiji period. The project was driven by a number of different ideologues, who sought to reform the Japanese language in an attempt to create a unique national language. These reformers sought to substitute the Chinese characters that were commonly used in place of the hiragana and katakana phonetic scripts in an effort to unify the Japanese language under a unified writing system. The project was spearheaded by the Japanese linguists Mori Ogai and Ueda Kazutoshi in 1895, and it initially gained its influence from the Germans who sought to limit the number of necessary characters needed for daily usage. The Japanese scholars elected to focus on what they saw to be the core of the language, the so-called “six sounds” or “yo-on”. This was seen as the key to unlocking the potential of a shared language that would unify Japan as a whole. The project was an immediate success, and quickly grew in popularity. To further this, the government officially supported the initiatives, and began to encourage its citizens to adopt the new writing system. This was met with much resistance, and resulted in a long-term movement of give-and-take between the supporters of the traditional writing system, and those who viewed the transliteration system as the wave of the future. Three different versions of the Great Transliteration Movement were established. The first two was focused on separate academic texts, with the first one limited to the works of Mori Ogai and Ueda Kazutoshi, while the second sought to promote works by other writers such as Sōseki Natsume and Katō Hiroyuki. The third followed the same general guidelines, but attempted to create more universal use by creating a simpler form of transliteration. In the end, the Great Transliteration Movement served to further the cause of the nation's unification. By creating a unified writing system, the government hoped to stamp out the wayward boundaries of old and create a single, standardized writing system. By promoting its use, it also created a sense of appropriateness that allowed Japan to assimilate with the rest of the world. The success of the project was such that it continued to be an integral part of the Japanese language even well into the 21st century. Download 39.33 Kb. Share with your friends:
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