“DIMITRIE CANTEMIR” CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES ANNALS OF “DIMITRIE CANTEMIR” CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY LINGUISTICS, LITERATURE AND METHODOLOGY OF TEACHING VOLUME XIX No. 1/2020 1 This journal is included in IDB SCIPIO ICI Journals Master List 2019 http://analeflls.ucdc.ro [email protected] ISSN 2065 - 0868 ISSN-L 2065 - 0868 Each author is responsible for the originality of his article and the fact that it has not been previously published. 2 “DIMITRIE CANTEMIR” CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES ANNALS OF “DIMITRIE CANTEMIR” CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY LINGUISTICS, LITERATURE AND METHODOLOGY OF TEACHING VOLUME XIX No. 1/2020 3 “DIMITRIE CANTEMIR” CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY BOARD Momcilo Luburici President Corina Adriana Dumitrescu President of the Senate Cristiana Cristureanu Rector Alexandru Ştefănescu Vice-Rector for Scientific Research EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Florentina Alexandru Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University Nicolae Dobrisan Corresponding Member of Cairo Arabic Language Academy and of the Syrian Science Academy Damascus Mary Koutsoudaki University of Athens Greg Kucich Notre Dame University Dana Lascu University of Richmond Ramona Mihailă Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University Emma Morita Kindai University Efstratia Oktapoda Sorbonne, Paris IV University Julieta Paulesc Arizona State University Elena Prus Free International University of Moldova Silvia Tita University of Michigan Irina Mihai-Vainovski Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University Estelle Variot Aix en Provence University Paolo Villani Universita degli Studi di Catania Alain Vuillemin Artois University and Paris-Est University EDITOR IN CHIEF Angela-Oana Drăgan Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University GUEST EDITORS Magdalena Ciubăncan Bucharest University of Economic Studies Irina Holca University of Tokyo Roman Paşca Kyoto University Carmen Tămaş University of Hyogo EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Dana Capriceru 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS1 RECURRENT ELEMENTS IN JAPANESE ADVERTISING DISCOURSE CASE STUDY: KAWAII Oana-Maria BÎRLEA .......................................................................... 7 THE SPECIFICS OF INTERPRETATION IN JAPANESE: THE PATH FROM CONSECUTIVE TO SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION Inga IBRAKHIM ............................................................................... 22 THE WORLD OF EURASIA FROM THE JAPANESE PERSPECTIVE: THE ANALYSIS OF THE KUROKI RYO’S NOVEL “A RUNWAY ON THE GREAT SILK ROAD” Maria MALASHEVSKAYA ............................................................... 31 EDO AND ITS FLÂNEURS: IN SEARCH OF AN EARLY-MODERN JAPANESE URBAN LITERATURE Cristian PALLONE............................................................................ 51 FROM THE GRAIN OF RICE TO THE SINGLE TRUTH: THE ONTOLOGY OF HUMAN EXISTENCE IN ANDŌ SHŌEKI’S PHILOSOPHY Roman PAŞCA ................................................................................. 68 SHIFTING NAMES AND MULTIPLE IDENTITIES A CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE USE OF JAPANESE NAMES IN OTHER LANGUAGES Miki SUEHIRO ................................................................................ 86 THE SUMMER OF MEN. TENJIN MATSURI IN THE YEAR OF THE PANDEMIC Carmen Săpunaru TĂMAȘ ............................................................... 99 1 Some of the papers included in the current volume are based on presentations given at the 7th international conference JAPAN: PRE-MODERN, MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY. A RETURN TRIP FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST. LEARNING IN, ABOUT AND FROM JAPAN, 2-4 September 2019, “Dimitrie Cantemir” Christian University, Bucharest. 5 METONYMY AND SOCIAL MARGINS: CENSORSHIP AND THE MEANING OF HANSEN’S DISEASE IN “THE FARCE” Kathryn M. TANAKA ...................................................................... 114 PEASANT ART MOVEMENT IN HOKKAIDO IN THE 20TH CENTURY: TOKUGAWA YOSHICHIKA’S CONTRIBUTION Evelyn Adrienn TÓTH .................................................................... 142 6 RECURRENT ELEMENTS IN JAPANESE ADVERTISING DISCOURSE CASE STUDY: KAWAII Oana-Maria BÎRLEA1 Abstract: This paper proposes an interdisciplinary approach to advertisements as a type of discourse by focusing on recurrent elements and cultural context. From the vast categorization of discourses, advertising discourse differentiates itself through its indispensable function: persuasion. Considering that advertising can both shape and mirror society, we believe that the analysis of visual metaphors and language of ads can offer valuable insight into understanding worldviews. A thorough investigation of the phenomenon requires the analysis of the words of advertisements in context and the intended receiver, thus Hofstede’s (1991, 2001, 2003, 2010) cultural dimensions will be the basis of this study. We aim to reveal some of the most significant aspects prevalent in Japanese advertising discourse by analyzing three non-commercial print advertisements created for Tokyo Metro after 2000. Starting from the premise that the lack of common cultural knowledge impedes interpretation, we will look at two Japanese cultural keywords, amae and kawaii, which we consider to be essential in understanding the Japanese set of values and worldview. Through the analysis conveyed, we expose the role of cute kyara (‘cute characters’) and kawaii (‘cute’) signs in Japanese advertising discourse construction. Keywords: Japanese advertising discourse, media studies, kawaii, amae, cultural semiotics 1. Preliminaries Discourse covers all forms of communication and argues that communication shapes the world. When people communicate, they draw from assumptions and generally accepted knowledge to make statements that will create meaning to others. We use the term “assumptions” according to Sperber & Wilson (1996: 2), that is, “thoughts treated by the individual as representations of the actual world”. In communication, assumptions are reinforced or challenged. The visual set-up of an event like the World Expo is a reflection of natural-seeming assumptions and also a reinforcement. For example, the statements made in 2015 (Milano, Italy) through the Japan Pavilion’s architecture, exhibits, placement communicate a plausible 1 Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca. 7 vision of what the world is like and what Japan’s place should be in this context. The key elements were “harmonious diversity and “tradition- modernity fusion”. Hello Kitty, ambassador of kawaii culture, depicted in a cute red kimono, was used on small handbooks on Japanese traditional food (washoku) and related concepts (umami - “the fifth taste”), sending a message of openness to the coexistence between tradition and modernity. This strategy was developed to sustain the idea of the uniqueness of the Japanese culture in the context of globalization. A sign in the “Kawaii: Introduction to Japan’s Cute Culture” exhibit in Epcot theme park indicates that: “After World War II, Japan’s youth flocked to cute items as a diversion from wartime life. Emerging anime and manga artists drew inspiration from an influx of western culture, and soon Japanese pop art had a new, cuter style”. The exhibits present Mt. Fuji, Godzilla, traditional food and clothing through kawaii aesthetics and characters, intending to reveal the “uniqueness” of this pop-culture on the world stage. Ads reflect worldviews, attitudes and beliefs through language and visuals. Moreover, the social and historical context must be taken into account because it has a great influence on discourse construction. Adstry to “sell” a very specific idea of a society, in this case, Japan as a pacifist nation in which “cuteness” is prevalent. From “officially cute” used by the government (kawaii ambassadors) to “kawaii at work” or “kawaii cleaning and cuisine”, this reinterpretation of reality facilitates communication and human interaction by providing a “playful escape”. The social-economic-political background of the 70s has shaped the younger generation’s sensibility who did not relate anymore to the traditional aesthetics and values and powered the search of a more “personal”, “humane”, representative culture. This movement resulted in a fondness for anything small, vulnerable, embellished and childish and gained popularity rapidly (Kinsella 1995: 226). Although kawaii culture has its roots in ancient Shintō traditions (promoting simplicity and harmony) and the first mentions of the concept appear in the Heian period writings (Oosawa & Yamada 2017: 166), it has emerged as a revolutionary form of expression in the decades following World War II (cf. Kinsella 1995). Traces of “traditional” kawaii culture can be seen in elegant haiku poems, geisha garments that embrace a delicate charm. From a rebellious refusal to embrace the responsibilities of adulthood, cute design dominates now Japanese culture and it has become one of the most prominent cultural exports to the world. The primary function of kawaii is to reconfigure the use and appearance of any mundane object into an object of affection and desire. Doi’s (1981) experiments and research on Japanese nature and sensibility has established a new paradigm for understanding cultural 8 differences and human behavior: “[…] the existence of an everyday word for passive love - amae - was an indicator of the nature of Japanese society and culture” (Doi 1981: 21). This concept of “need-love” (amae) encompasses the Japanese worldview and social interactions and it represents a key factor in understanding “beneath surface” differences. Starting from the idea exposed above, according to which “the typical