This book is the first full-length study in English to examine the use of discriminatory language in Japan. As in other countries, there has been much debate about the public use of language deemed demeaning to certain groups within society especially in relation to the issue of minority rights versus freedom of speech.
Adding a new dimension to the discussion of language and society in Japan, the book focuses on an aspect of language and power which highlights some of the dissent underlying Japan’s officially promoted ideology of a harmonious society. The text presents a revealing examination of the discriminatory language, known as sabetsu yogo, as identified by five minority groups, the Burakumin, the Ainu, people with physical or mental disabilities, women and ethnic groups within Japan
Biography
Nanette Gottlieb
"Linguistic Stereotyping and Minority Groups in Japan...is a more satisfying read for scholars in the field of Japanese sociolinguistics. This is a sustained and detailed examination of the linguistic expression of one aspect of the reality underlying the image of Japan as a homogeneous and harmonius society: discriminatory language, linguistic stereotyping, and hate speech." - Tessa Carroll, Journal of Japanese Studies 34:2 (2008)
