Babes-Bolay University, Japanese Language Lecturer; I specialize in Japanese language and culture. My research interest is Japanese advertising discourse, kawaii culture and other related phenomena. My latest book: https://libraria.ubbcluj.ro/produs/cultura-kawaii-si-discursul-publicitar-japonez/
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of cultural exchange on Japanese advertising di... more The purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of cultural exchange on Japanese advertising discourse construction perpetuated through the idea of prestige. This phenomenon can be explained through the concept of mukokuseki (Jap. 無国籍) ‘lack of nationality’, a term which encompasses the idea of transculturality in Asia. In the context of globalization, erasing the identity or any sort of national mark enhances the absorption and integration of foreign elements and leads to reconsidering aesthetic communication. Japanese advertising discourse is based more on emotional reactions rather than cognitive ones, and this can be noticed through the extensive use of kawaii ‘cute’ symbolism. Considering that the idea encompassed by the concept of “cute” is present in any culture, and its effects are more or less the same, by freeing it from any cultural or societal restraints (mukokuseki), it becomes an intermediary space where traditional, national elements can overlap foreign ones without...
The present paper aims to reveal the differences between Romanian and Japanese print advertisemen... more The present paper aims to reveal the differences between Romanian and Japanese print advertisements from a cultural-semiotic perspective. Starting with Peirce's trichotomy of signs and Hofstede's theory of cultural dimensions (1980, 2001) we intend to describe the particularities of advertising discourse in the proposed context in order to find possible explanations for the variations in discourse construction. Our hypothesis is built around the idea that advertisements are a reflection of a society's view of the world and therefore a cultural-semiotic analysis will provide significant insight into how norms and values are conveyed through signs. Considering that advertising discourse can be perceived as a collective good in which values and ideals are expressed through symbols a diachronic analysis of the words of advertisements can work as a powerful markers indicating how societies change. Perhaps the most visible change in discourse construction is the shift from an explicit to an implicit meaning and this phenomena be observed through the use of symbols and visual cues rather than words. Through the analysis of four Japanese and Romanian public service print advertisements created after 2015 we aim to explore the constituent signs of advertising discourse focusing on both language and context in order to show the connection between language and culture in discourse construction. The findings suggest that cultural adaptation is a decisive factor in persuading the viewer.
This article aims to explain the use and role of cute, adora- ble characters in Japanese advertis... more This article aims to explain the use and role of cute, adora- ble characters in Japanese advertising. Kawaii culture or the “culture of cute” has become known worldwide mainly because of Hello Kitty, the cat which led the “pink globalization”, as Yano (2013) states. In this paper we have attempted to reveal the symbolism of these apparent meaning- less cute signs and characters. Starting from Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions (2001, 2003, 2010), which shows how a society’s culture influ- ences the values of its members, we intended to show how are these kawaii characters used in Japanese advertising and how they fit cultural specif- ics. Used either in non-commercial, educational or commercial advertising, cute personae can make the target audience feel more comfortable, secure and cooperating (Murakami, 2005). In this paper we have discussed the role of three iconic characters: the emblematic Hello Kitty, Kumamon, the lovely bear created by the government of Kumamoto Prefect...
The study of advertising can be approached from different perspective, thus making it a transdisc... more The study of advertising can be approached from different perspective, thus making it a transdisciplinary field of study. The term “discourse” can denote and refer to different aspects accordingly and due to the intersection with various fields of study it has enhanced its ambiguous nature. Although “traditional” linguistics perspectives separate the use of language per se from the interference with other science (sociolinguistics) this connection that arises has a better potential in explaining language use and relevance within social interactions. The polysemy of the term “discourse” appears from the interference with other fields and in common speech the interpretation of a certain discourse as being a “political”, “feminist” or “religious” one is due to the common features it shares with a certain area or subject. In Saussurian terms, “discourse” refers to a systematic and relational sequence of meaningful statements and semiotic elements (signs and symbols). In the present pape...
"Kawaii (Cute) Signs and Symbols as a Means of Maintaining Harmony in Japanese Society. This... more "Kawaii (Cute) Signs and Symbols as a Means of Maintaining Harmony in Japanese Society. This study focuses on the various facets of the Japanese concept of kawaii (“cute”, “adorable”), as resulting from print advertisements. In the last decade it has been intensively studied by different scholars from various research fields aiming to understand the Japanese worldview. The analysis of pop culture elements, of which kawaii is part of, was not an area of interest due to the fact that they were considered inferior to high culture (classical arts and traditions), but the influence of this concept on culture and language, as well as on the way the Japanese communicate and relate is significant. Starting from the idea that the viewer is (often) persuaded through culture-specific signs and symbols, we intend to present the role of kawaii (“cute”, “adorable”) verbal and visual signs in maintaining group harmony (wa), one of Japan’s core values. Hofstede’s (2001, 2003, 2010) cultural dimensions theory was used to identify some of the dominant values in the Japanese society which determine people’s expectations and behavior and signs and symbols used in adverts were analyzed from a cultural semiotics perspective. In order to explain the popularity of cute characters and “sweet talk” (oseji) in advertisements, we conducted a content analysis based on a corpus of over 200 Japanese print advertisements, covering both commercial and social (public interest) advertising, out of which we have selected four to discuss in this paper. Keywords: advertising discourse, cultural semiotics, advertising language, kawaii, cute, cute studies, Japanese, pop culture "
The purpose of this essay is to present how Japanese eating habits have changed in the context of... more The purpose of this essay is to present how Japanese eating habits have changed in the context of globalization. We start from the premise that eating is not merely about meeting a basic need, but about creating a relationship with nature. It can be regarded as a ritual practice because it reveals a culture and its people’s beliefs, values and mind-sets. As Geert Hofstede et al. note, life in Japan is highly ritualized and there are a lot of ceremonies (192). Starting from the idea that food consumption is based on rituals too, we intend to explain the relationship between eating habits and lifestyle change in contemporary Japan. Considering that the Japanese diet is based on whole or minimally processed foods, we ask ourselves how Western food habits ended up being adopted and adapted so quickly in the Japanese society. With this purpose in mind, we intend to describe some of the most important festivals and celebrations in Japan, focusing on the relationship between special occasi...
Having as a starting point the idea of power exercised through symbols and taking into account so... more Having as a starting point the idea of power exercised through symbols and taking into account sociocultural factors in the Era of Globalization, this paper will try to answer to an important question regarding advertising discourse construction and power relations: How does the transfer of power occur in this particular type of discourse? We are interested mainly in offering insights on how Japanese advertising discourse is constructed and which are the factors that contribute to the creation of global meaning and to observe how specific signs create cultural symbols, according to various aspects such as context, timeframe, and culture. Also, considering the multitude of discourse types that have the capacity to exert power through language as a tool, we argue that the advertising discourse that we encounter on a daily basis has the most significant impact on all masses. Through the creation of advertising, discourse one manages to attain a position of power over the society it belongs to and furthermore, at the macro level it enhances the idea of the supremacy of one society over another. The results indicate that advertising discourse can be perceived at a certain level as a fine line between the dominant and the submissive entity thus, discourse power manifests through manipulation or seduction, but we should perceive power as intensity, not as a force.
The present paper aims to reveal the differences between Romanian and Japanese print advertisemen... more The present paper aims to reveal the differences between Romanian and Japanese print advertisements from a cultural-semiotic perspective. Starting with Peirce's trichotomy of signs and Hofstede's theory of cultural dimensions (1980, 2001) we intend to describe the particularities of advertising discourse in the proposed context in order to find possible explanations for the variations in discourse construction. Our hypothesis is built around the idea that advertisements are a reflection of a society's view of the world and therefore a cultural-semiotic analysis will provide significant insight into how norms and values are conveyed through signs. Considering that advertising discourse can be perceived as a collective good in which values and ideals are expressed through symbols a diachronic analysis of the words of advertisements can work as a powerful markers indicating how societies change. Perhaps the most visible change in discourse construction is the shift from an explicit to an implicit meaning and this phenomena be observed through the use of symbols and visual cues rather than words. Through the analysis of four Japanese and Romanian public service print advertisements created after 2015 we aim to explore the constituent signs of advertising discourse focusing on both language and context in order to show the connection between language and culture in discourse construction. The findings suggest that cultural adaptation is a decisive factor in persuading the viewer.
The present paper, with focus on language and its effect on other modes, tries to expose the part... more The present paper, with focus on language and its effect on other modes, tries to expose the particularities of Japanese advertising discourse constructed around kawaii symbols as a means of coping with the rapid changes imposed by the globalized world. Through the analysis of several Shiseidō print advertisements run from the 1960’s throughout the 1980’s we argue that the construction of this type of discourse reveals the way in which Japanese society relates to the rest of the world at a certain moment in time. The conceptual framework is constituted by Saussure’s semiotics (signifier, signified) and Peirce’s typologies of signs (icon, index, symbol). Particularly for Japanese advertising discourse analysis we prefer the term “glocalization” (Robertson 1995) due to Japan’s long history of absorption and integration of foreign elements. The research methodology is based on different paradigms proposed by Cook (1992, 2001), Hofstede (2001, 2005) and Wilson and Sperber (2012).I consider that a mere semiotic analysis would not suffice, therefore a cultural and pragmatic viewpoint will provide the necessary in order to complete the global perspective and interpretation in the proposed context.
Keywords: Japanese, advertising discourse, Kawaiiron, pragmatics, semiotics, cultural model
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of cultural exchange on Japanese advertising di... more The purpose of this paper is to reveal the impact of cultural exchange on Japanese advertising discourse construction perpetuated through the idea of prestige. This phenomenon can be explained through the concept of mukokuseki (Jap. 無国籍) ‘lack of nationality’, a term which encompasses the idea of transculturality in Asia. In the context of globalization, erasing the identity or any sort of national mark enhances the absorption and integration of foreign elements and leads to reconsidering aesthetic communication. Japanese advertising discourse is based more on emotional reactions rather than cognitive ones, and this can be noticed through the extensive use of kawaii ‘cute’ symbolism. Considering that the idea encompassed by the concept of “cute” is present in any culture, and its effects are more or less the same, by freeing it from any cultural or societal restraints (mukokuseki), it becomes an intermediary space where traditional, national elements can overlap foreign ones without...
The present paper aims to reveal the differences between Romanian and Japanese print advertisemen... more The present paper aims to reveal the differences between Romanian and Japanese print advertisements from a cultural-semiotic perspective. Starting with Peirce's trichotomy of signs and Hofstede's theory of cultural dimensions (1980, 2001) we intend to describe the particularities of advertising discourse in the proposed context in order to find possible explanations for the variations in discourse construction. Our hypothesis is built around the idea that advertisements are a reflection of a society's view of the world and therefore a cultural-semiotic analysis will provide significant insight into how norms and values are conveyed through signs. Considering that advertising discourse can be perceived as a collective good in which values and ideals are expressed through symbols a diachronic analysis of the words of advertisements can work as a powerful markers indicating how societies change. Perhaps the most visible change in discourse construction is the shift from an explicit to an implicit meaning and this phenomena be observed through the use of symbols and visual cues rather than words. Through the analysis of four Japanese and Romanian public service print advertisements created after 2015 we aim to explore the constituent signs of advertising discourse focusing on both language and context in order to show the connection between language and culture in discourse construction. The findings suggest that cultural adaptation is a decisive factor in persuading the viewer.
This article aims to explain the use and role of cute, adora- ble characters in Japanese advertis... more This article aims to explain the use and role of cute, adora- ble characters in Japanese advertising. Kawaii culture or the “culture of cute” has become known worldwide mainly because of Hello Kitty, the cat which led the “pink globalization”, as Yano (2013) states. In this paper we have attempted to reveal the symbolism of these apparent meaning- less cute signs and characters. Starting from Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions (2001, 2003, 2010), which shows how a society’s culture influ- ences the values of its members, we intended to show how are these kawaii characters used in Japanese advertising and how they fit cultural specif- ics. Used either in non-commercial, educational or commercial advertising, cute personae can make the target audience feel more comfortable, secure and cooperating (Murakami, 2005). In this paper we have discussed the role of three iconic characters: the emblematic Hello Kitty, Kumamon, the lovely bear created by the government of Kumamoto Prefect...
The study of advertising can be approached from different perspective, thus making it a transdisc... more The study of advertising can be approached from different perspective, thus making it a transdisciplinary field of study. The term “discourse” can denote and refer to different aspects accordingly and due to the intersection with various fields of study it has enhanced its ambiguous nature. Although “traditional” linguistics perspectives separate the use of language per se from the interference with other science (sociolinguistics) this connection that arises has a better potential in explaining language use and relevance within social interactions. The polysemy of the term “discourse” appears from the interference with other fields and in common speech the interpretation of a certain discourse as being a “political”, “feminist” or “religious” one is due to the common features it shares with a certain area or subject. In Saussurian terms, “discourse” refers to a systematic and relational sequence of meaningful statements and semiotic elements (signs and symbols). In the present pape...
"Kawaii (Cute) Signs and Symbols as a Means of Maintaining Harmony in Japanese Society. This... more "Kawaii (Cute) Signs and Symbols as a Means of Maintaining Harmony in Japanese Society. This study focuses on the various facets of the Japanese concept of kawaii (“cute”, “adorable”), as resulting from print advertisements. In the last decade it has been intensively studied by different scholars from various research fields aiming to understand the Japanese worldview. The analysis of pop culture elements, of which kawaii is part of, was not an area of interest due to the fact that they were considered inferior to high culture (classical arts and traditions), but the influence of this concept on culture and language, as well as on the way the Japanese communicate and relate is significant. Starting from the idea that the viewer is (often) persuaded through culture-specific signs and symbols, we intend to present the role of kawaii (“cute”, “adorable”) verbal and visual signs in maintaining group harmony (wa), one of Japan’s core values. Hofstede’s (2001, 2003, 2010) cultural dimensions theory was used to identify some of the dominant values in the Japanese society which determine people’s expectations and behavior and signs and symbols used in adverts were analyzed from a cultural semiotics perspective. In order to explain the popularity of cute characters and “sweet talk” (oseji) in advertisements, we conducted a content analysis based on a corpus of over 200 Japanese print advertisements, covering both commercial and social (public interest) advertising, out of which we have selected four to discuss in this paper. Keywords: advertising discourse, cultural semiotics, advertising language, kawaii, cute, cute studies, Japanese, pop culture "
The purpose of this essay is to present how Japanese eating habits have changed in the context of... more The purpose of this essay is to present how Japanese eating habits have changed in the context of globalization. We start from the premise that eating is not merely about meeting a basic need, but about creating a relationship with nature. It can be regarded as a ritual practice because it reveals a culture and its people’s beliefs, values and mind-sets. As Geert Hofstede et al. note, life in Japan is highly ritualized and there are a lot of ceremonies (192). Starting from the idea that food consumption is based on rituals too, we intend to explain the relationship between eating habits and lifestyle change in contemporary Japan. Considering that the Japanese diet is based on whole or minimally processed foods, we ask ourselves how Western food habits ended up being adopted and adapted so quickly in the Japanese society. With this purpose in mind, we intend to describe some of the most important festivals and celebrations in Japan, focusing on the relationship between special occasi...
Having as a starting point the idea of power exercised through symbols and taking into account so... more Having as a starting point the idea of power exercised through symbols and taking into account sociocultural factors in the Era of Globalization, this paper will try to answer to an important question regarding advertising discourse construction and power relations: How does the transfer of power occur in this particular type of discourse? We are interested mainly in offering insights on how Japanese advertising discourse is constructed and which are the factors that contribute to the creation of global meaning and to observe how specific signs create cultural symbols, according to various aspects such as context, timeframe, and culture. Also, considering the multitude of discourse types that have the capacity to exert power through language as a tool, we argue that the advertising discourse that we encounter on a daily basis has the most significant impact on all masses. Through the creation of advertising, discourse one manages to attain a position of power over the society it belongs to and furthermore, at the macro level it enhances the idea of the supremacy of one society over another. The results indicate that advertising discourse can be perceived at a certain level as a fine line between the dominant and the submissive entity thus, discourse power manifests through manipulation or seduction, but we should perceive power as intensity, not as a force.
The present paper aims to reveal the differences between Romanian and Japanese print advertisemen... more The present paper aims to reveal the differences between Romanian and Japanese print advertisements from a cultural-semiotic perspective. Starting with Peirce's trichotomy of signs and Hofstede's theory of cultural dimensions (1980, 2001) we intend to describe the particularities of advertising discourse in the proposed context in order to find possible explanations for the variations in discourse construction. Our hypothesis is built around the idea that advertisements are a reflection of a society's view of the world and therefore a cultural-semiotic analysis will provide significant insight into how norms and values are conveyed through signs. Considering that advertising discourse can be perceived as a collective good in which values and ideals are expressed through symbols a diachronic analysis of the words of advertisements can work as a powerful markers indicating how societies change. Perhaps the most visible change in discourse construction is the shift from an explicit to an implicit meaning and this phenomena be observed through the use of symbols and visual cues rather than words. Through the analysis of four Japanese and Romanian public service print advertisements created after 2015 we aim to explore the constituent signs of advertising discourse focusing on both language and context in order to show the connection between language and culture in discourse construction. The findings suggest that cultural adaptation is a decisive factor in persuading the viewer.
The present paper, with focus on language and its effect on other modes, tries to expose the part... more The present paper, with focus on language and its effect on other modes, tries to expose the particularities of Japanese advertising discourse constructed around kawaii symbols as a means of coping with the rapid changes imposed by the globalized world. Through the analysis of several Shiseidō print advertisements run from the 1960’s throughout the 1980’s we argue that the construction of this type of discourse reveals the way in which Japanese society relates to the rest of the world at a certain moment in time. The conceptual framework is constituted by Saussure’s semiotics (signifier, signified) and Peirce’s typologies of signs (icon, index, symbol). Particularly for Japanese advertising discourse analysis we prefer the term “glocalization” (Robertson 1995) due to Japan’s long history of absorption and integration of foreign elements. The research methodology is based on different paradigms proposed by Cook (1992, 2001), Hofstede (2001, 2005) and Wilson and Sperber (2012).I consider that a mere semiotic analysis would not suffice, therefore a cultural and pragmatic viewpoint will provide the necessary in order to complete the global perspective and interpretation in the proposed context.
Keywords: Japanese, advertising discourse, Kawaiiron, pragmatics, semiotics, cultural model
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Papers by Oana-Maria Bîrlea
Keywords: Japanese, advertising discourse, Kawaiiron, pragmatics, semiotics, cultural model
Keywords: Japanese, advertising discourse, Kawaiiron, pragmatics, semiotics, cultural model