Decorative English in Contemporary Japan. A Study of Japanese Advertising

The present work provides an analysis of the so called ¿decorative English¿ as it appears in many Japanese advertisements. The main purpose is to question whether the function of decorative English is merely to add an ornament to the message or to become a constitutive element of the message itself, with a precise but peculiar communicative function. The first chapter offers a general introduction to the main topic of the research. In particular, it defines the term ¿Decorative English¿ and presents the studies of some scholars who have argued that English in several Japanese advertisements is not meant to be completely understood, while other have proposed that it could serve a communicative function as well. This part ends with a brief display of the most common loanwords in Japan and it explores their tasks and usefulness in contemporary Japan. The second chapter expands the study of loanwords in Japan by providing a brief historical overview, showing how Japan has had a long history of contact with different languages and cultures. It also shows how language in Japan has been influenced in the era of globalization, referring to the advent of World Englishes and the paradigm of EIL (English as an International Language). The final part of the chapter portrays an examination of the relationship between sociolinguistic and globalization and it investigates the use of English in media and popular culture, focusing on television programs and J-Pop music. The third section opens with a brief history of the two main advertising companies in Japan, Dentsu and Hakuhodo. Then it analyzes several Japanese advertising texts from different fields (cosmetics, videogames, food and magazines) whose main targets are respectively women, youths and children and men. The text analysis of the English used in these advertisements shows that even though it is mainly decorative, sometimes it is able to communicate as well. A concluding section sums up the main issues and arguments of the research, suggesting further lines of enquiring how English functions in Japanese advertising.