KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study aims to investigate the current situation of the linguistic landscapes of ‘Old Korean Town’ in Nagoya by conducting a linguistic landscape survey using quantitative and qualitative methods and an interview with a store employee of a historic Korean grocery shop in the area. We also analyzed the linguistic landscapes from a marketing perspective and learned that the languages used in the linguistic landscapes can be resources for marketing in the area. The results of a linguistic landscape survey showed that there are currently 10 Korean stores in Koreatown, and the linguistic landscapes of the stores, such as signboards and menus, are seemingly designed for Japanese native speakers. For example, Korean is not used solely but together with Japanese. Korean is often a decorative language, and Japanese words are used with Korean pronunciations. The findings from the semi-structured interview with a store employee (who is the owner’s wife) showed that the store is playing a role in forming and maintaining a community of Korean residents in Japan through local business and introducing Korean food culture to Japanese customers. Their motivation to communicate with Japanese customers can shape the linguistic landscapes of the store. Marketing analysis was conducted based on the linguistic landscape survey in this area. The findings indicated that the store owners’ language choice in the linguistic landscapes of the stores and restaurants could be influenced by their target customers and their product and service differentiation strategies. The analysis results examined from a customer engagement perspective demonstrated that the semiotic way of using Korean could foster customer engagement in the local food industry. Overall, this study provided insight into some of the linguistic landscapes in the old Korean town by combining several analytical methods. We believe that the findings and approaches of this study will be helpful for future research on linguistic landscapes in Korean towns in Nagoya.

This study analyzes the continuity between the uses of the Japanese auxiliary verb -te miru and the Korean auxiliary verb -a/-eo boda in terms of trial and abstraction of meaning. The most basic usage of -te miru and -a/-eo boda is to express a trial. One can observe a gradual and continuous abstraction of meaning from the trial; as the meaning becomes increasingly abstract, pragmatic effects, such as consideration and politeness toward the hearer, can be noted. Regarding Japanese–Korean correspondences, we classified those representing trials into Type A and those whose meanings are abstracted from trials into Types B and C. Types A and B correspond in Japanese and Korean; meanwhile, Type C is found only in Korean. The verb -te miru does not occur as we move from Type A to Type B, with the meaning of the trial disappearing. Conversely, boda changes its meaning as we move from Type A to Types B and C and can be produced even if the meaning of the trial is lost. The conjugations -te miru and -a/-eo boda originally abstracted their meanings from the verb “to see” and became functional words for expressing the meaning of trial. However, when comparing their grammaticalization processes, the abstraction of meaning occurred more in -a/-eo boda than in -te miru, indicating that they are in different stages of grammaticalization. This finding is significant as it highlights the differences in the continuity of meaning in terms of the trial and the process of abstraction between these two similar forms.

This paper analyzes the relationships between the various meanings of the word "tokoro" (a Japanese word often translated as "place," "spot," "scene," etc.) from the perspective of cognitive semantics, as well as the process of meaning extension from its basic sense to its derived senses, providing a comprehensive view of a word's semantic evolution. This perspective focuses on how language reflects and shapes our world understanding. The results are as follows: When observing the meanings of "tokoro," the various meanings that might seem unrelated at first glance share commonalities when viewed from geometric perspectives, such as three-dimensionality, flatness, linearity, and point-like properties. These shared characteristics form a single category, with each meaning existing as a member of that category. The central meaning of "tokoro" is that of "space," all of its derived meanings extend from this central meaning based on the properties of space, such as its three-dimensionality, flatness, linearity, and point-like nature. Specifically, derived meanings such as "object/body," "organization/group," and "source of information" are based on the three-dimensionality of space; the meaning of "situation" is based on the flatness of space; "temporal scope" is based on its linearity; and meanings such as "part," "position," "stage," "degree," and "point in time" are derived from the point-like nature of space. Most derived meanings of "tokoro" are metaphorical extensions based on similarity, as described above. However, there are also two derived meanings based on metonymy about space: "matter" and "state." "Matter" is derived through the metonymic relationship of "container—contents," while "state" is derived through the metonymic relationship of "object—characteristic."