Stratification of Yakuwarigo as Character Stylization Patterns

Abstract

This study aims to revise core definitions and categories of stylistic strategies introduced to Japanese discourse as yakuwarigo 役割語. For this purpose, the key concepts of yakuwarigo studies are briefly introduced, with a particular focus on the lack of clarity in the terminology used in the discourse and on possible improvements to the preexisting categorizations. The established term ‘role language’ (Kinsui 2017), used as the English equivalent of yakuwarigo, and four types of Character Language (Kinsui and Yamakido 2015) are reassessed based on how they correspond with the observed nature of the phenomena. The correlations between linguistic markers, characteristic traits of fictional speakers linked with them and complexity of character types result in the proposal of four Marker-Trait Relations (M-TR). The primary opposition among these relations is based on the axis of agreement and disagreement between linguistic markers and character traits composing particular stylization patterns or clichés. This differentiation is followed by the distinction of Character Stylization Patterns (CSP), Character Stylization Markers (CSM) and Character Stylization Traits (CST). The suggested stratification takes into consideration both stylizations present in contemporary Japanese discourse and stylizations that are utilized only in the works of Japanese popular culture. This brief reevaluation of the yakuwarigo discourse results in the proposal of a methodological apparatus that allows for a more precise categorization of this stylistic subcategory and a potential adaptation in stylistic analysis of similar phenomena found in other languages.