Japan's NHK sued over use of English words

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**Dreadclaw69**

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23079067

A disgruntled viewer is suing Japan's national broadcaster for "mental distress" caused by an excessive use of words borrowed from English.

Hoji Takahashi, 71, is seeking 1.4 million yen ($14,300; £9,300) in damages from NHK.

"The basis of his concern is that Japan is being too Americanised," his lawyer Mutsuo Miyata told the news agency AFP.

English became more prevalent in Japan after World War II during the US-led occupation.

This was followed by a growing interest in American pop culture.

The country's modern vocabulary is littered with borrowed words, many of which are changed to fit the Japanese phonic structure.

Complaint
Mr Takahashi, who is a member of a campaign group supporting the Japanese language, highlighted words such as "toraburu" (trouble), "risuku" (risk) and "shisutemu" (system) in NHK's news and entertainment programmes.

He accused NHK of irresponsibility by refusing to use native Japanese equivalents.

"With Japanese society increasingly Americanised, Takahashi believes that NHK, as Japan's national broadcaster, shouldn't go with the trend, but remain determined to prioritise the use of Japanese, which he thinks would go a long way toward protecting Japanese culture," Mr Miyata told the Japan Times on Wednesday.

Mr Takahashi filed his complaint on Tuesday with the Nagoya District Court in the central Chubu region of Japan, the newspaper said.

NHK said it would not comment until it had studied the legal documents.

Other examples of English words often used in Japanese include:

telebi (TV)
lajio (radio)
kompulaianse (compliance)
kolaborasion (collaboration)
dejitaru (digital)
taoru (towel)
Vocabulary is also borrowed from other foreign languages. The German "arbeit" becomes "arubaitois" to mean work, and the Spanish "pan" is understood as bread.

Traditionalists in France and French-speaking Canada also worry about the influx of English words into their native tongue.

France's 1994 Toubon Law makes French compulsory in government publications, most workplaces, advertisements, parts of the media and state-funded schools.

However, the French parliament is debating relaxing these rules so that university courses can be taught in English.

Japanese words used in the English language include "haiku", "origami" and "Bonsai".

Other commonly used "loanwords" are the German "kindergarten", "zeitgeist" and "blitz" as well as French terms such as "faux-pas", "decor" and "cafe".

**RossDas**

Languages will always seep in to each other, and some words just fade away of their own accord. The language I know as 'English' is liberally peppered with words and phrases originating from beyond the land of my birth - you just have to open a dictionary to see that.

**ImotekhTheStormlord**

This person is clearly a crackpot.

**Seaward**

Time for a universal lanuage, anyway.

I vote English.

On a side note, is Japan wacky enough to actually give this guy that money?

**LuciusAR**

Sounds like a chancer to me. Hopeful he'll be told to get stuffed.

**SagesStone**

Well at the same time I'd expect the same of an American if something like Fox started dropping random Japanese words everywhere. Still pretty damn silly though.

**CthuluIsSpy**

Welcome to the evolution of language, mate. This sort of thing happened to English a long time ago.

**Super Ready**

Waaaaaaait, wait wait wait WAIT. A Japanese person is claiming distress that Japan is becoming too Americanised... and their reaction is to sue?!

Irony!

**TheDraconicLord**

Super Ready wrote:
Waaaaaaait, wait wait wait WAIT. A Japanese person is claiming distress that Japan is becoming too Americanised... and their reaction is to sue?!

Irony!

Clearly there's no hope for Japan now

**MrDwhitey**

Super Ready wrote:
Waaaaaaait, wait wait wait WAIT. A Japanese person is claiming distress that Japan is becoming too Americanised... and their reaction is to sue?!

Irony!

I completely and utterly missed that.

It is beautiful.

Thank you.

**Khornholio**

Can I sue NHK for their misuse of English words?

**Ahtman**

Khornholio wrote:
Can I sue NHK for their misuse of English words?

There is only one way to find out.

**motyak**

The list of half-english half-japanese words reads like something you'd hear in southpark. Hilariously stereotypical.

"Don't forget to bring a taoru!"

**PrehistoricUFO**

Every language contains vocabulary from other languages. What a maroon, what an embezzle, what an ultramaroon, what a pachydermous percussive pitch.

**Hordini**

It's hilarious how uptight some people get about loan words, like they think it's a new thing that's going to corrupt their pure language.

**LordofHats**

Seaward wrote:
Time for a universal lanuage, anyway.

I vote English.

On a side note, is Japan wacky enough to actually give this guy that money?

More likely he's trying to draw attention to the issue than actually seeking money (don't know if he'll get it).

Japan has always had a very strong segment of its population that is staunchly protective of Japanese culture, but it's been growing the past couple of years and ever since the death of Hirohito (also part of Japanese culture that).

**Jihadin**

Suing a TV organization nothing new. You know how many times I wanted to sue the News Network for constantly spamming me, both audio and visual, the OJ Simpson Carnival?

**daedalus**

He's just being racist because he thinks that the words came from English.

**agnosto**

He probably rides around in one of these in his spare time:

**Kid_Kyoto**

Odder still 50% or more of Japanese is borrowed from Chinese which is why linguistic nationalism never really caught on.

Still...

telebi (TV)
lajio (radio)
kompulaianse (compliance)
kolaborasion (collaboration)
dejitaru (digital)
taoru (towel)

Um, Auntie Beeb, there's no L in Japanese. It should be terebi, rajio etc.

I've never seen Japanese romanized this way.

**Jehan-reznor**

It is always the Gajins fault, They are destroying the Japanese culture!

Trully? this will never go to court.

**Khornholio**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Odder still 50% or more of Japanese is borrowed from Chinese which is why linguistic nationalism never really caught on.

I was thinking it is ironic that the plaintiff's name would be written in Chinese characters on the legal documents. Oh well, I guess his lawyer doesn't mind filling out the papers to make a quick "jyu man" for a case that'll go nowhere.

**Hordini**

agnosto wrote:
He probably rides around in one of these in his spare time:

Is that like the Japanese version of the A-Team? I pity the fool!

**Jehan-reznor**

No these black Van's and busses are use by right wing political groups to loudly shout out the dangers of foreign influences in Japan.

**Hordini**

Jehan-reznor wrote:
No these black Van's and busses are use by right wing political groups to loudly shout out the dangers of foreign influences in Japan.

Ah, okay. In that case, I still pity the fool!

**Jihadnik**

motyak wrote:
The list of half-english half-japanese words reads like something you'd hear in southpark. Hilariously stereotypical.

"Don't forget to bring a taoru!"

Hahahaha

priceless!

**Soladrin**

Clearly the racist westerners are encroaching on Japan.

**Hordini**

Soladrin wrote:
Clearly the racist westerners are encroaching on Japan.

Oh yes, I'd almost forgotten. I think you're onto something here!

**CthuluIsSpy**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Odder still 50% or more of Japanese is borrowed from Chinese which is why linguistic nationalism never really caught on.

Still...

telebi (TV)
lajio (radio)
kompulaianse (compliance)
kolaborasion (collaboration)
dejitaru (digital)
taoru (towel)

Um, Auntie Beeb, there's no L in Japanese. It should be terebi, rajio etc.

I've never seen Japanese romanized this way.

Hah, yes, that's what I thought.

That "l" shouldn't go there.

**Some_Call_Me_Tim?**

Hordini wrote:
Soladrin wrote:
Clearly the racist westerners are encroaching on Japan.

Oh yes, I'd almost forgotten. I think you're onto something here!

Yep, those racist westerners and their ugly women and bad cosplay!

Seriously though, for some reason I imagine the plaintiff in this case as a really pissed off Samurai screaming insults. Same for the "ant-western cosplay" dude.

~Tim?