Japanese Language – History and Geographical Distribution

Japanese is believed to be linked to the Altaic language family, which includes Turkish, Mongolian and other languages, but also shows similarities to Austronesian languages like Polynesian.

The Japanese by and large believe their language to be a highly unique language—some believe it to be unlike any other language in existence. Western linguists believe that Japanese is a language clearly related to other Northern Asian languages, but there is a fair amount of disagreement among them. Suffice it to say that Japanese is the only human language where we can't quite decide where it came from or what other languages it is related to.

Almost all linguists believe that Japanese is an Altaic language, which makes a certain amount of sense considering the fact that the Yayoi people seem to have migrated from Korea. A fair number of Japanese linguists, however, believe that Japanese is an Austronesian language. These alternative views have given rise to three theories concerning the origin of Japanese:

1. In the Western model, Japanese was derived from a language spoken in northern Asia that split off into several languages, such as Mongolian, Korean, and Turkish. The earliest peoples of Japan probably spoke this language, but the Yayoi certainly spoke this language. By the end of the Yayoi period (300 A.D.), this Altaic language was the dominant language on the islands. This language was in part influenced by the Pacific Island languages (the Austronesian languages) that surrounded the islands of Japan and thus formed an Austronesian substratum in Japanese.

2. The Jomon spoke an Austronesian language and the Yayoi introduced an Altaic language. This Altaic language combined with the Austronesian language spoken on the islands to form a unique hybrid, Japanese, which became the dominant language in Japan. In this model, there are two possibilities: Japanese is an Altaic language with an Austronesian substratum or Japanese is an Austronesian language with an Altaic substratum.

3. Japanese was originally a language related to Tibetan or a language related to Tamil that was introduced into Japan during the great migration of Southeast Asian peoples four or five thousand years ago. This language combined with an Altaic and an Austronesian language to form the contemporary language.

However, Japanese linguists argue that even though the written form of Japanese language uses Chinese (kanji) characters, it is distinct from Chinese and Korean and contend that it is not related to any other language.

The Japanese language became known as early as the 8^th century when the three major works of Old Japanese were compiled. The earliest attestation of Japanese is in a Chinese document from 252 A.D. Even though the Japanese language is found to be having similarities with different languages the Chinese language changed it profoundly as it introduced new ways of thinking and new ways of expressing that thought.

In fact, most Japanese words are derived from Chinese—over sixty percent, to be precise. The situation is similar to English in which some sixty percent of English words are derived from Latin and only a minority of English words comes from original English.

Since the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), Japanese has been greatly influenced by Western languages. Technology in particular has introduced a host of new words and expressions. In the realm of grammar, some writers have written Japanese in such a way to make translation into English easier. As a result, they've significantly changed some grammatical constructions to fit in more closely with European languages.

Although Japanese is spoken almost exclusively in Japan, it has been and is still sometimes spoken elsewhere by over 130 million people. Japanese is the de facto official language of Japan, which is the only country to have Japanese as an official working language. There are two forms of the language considered standard: hyōjungoor or standard Japanese, and kyōtsūgo or the common language spoken by the people in casual situations (i.e. colloquial). As government policy has modernized Japanese, many of the distinctions between the two have blurred.

Japanese has borrowed a vast number of words from Chinese and particularly during the last few centuries, many English and other European language loan words have also been introduced into the Japanese language.

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This post was created by Textronics Communications Ltd. (www.textronics.com), a leading language and translation services provider since 1991. Our service offering includes translation, interpretation, proofreading, narration, transcription as well multi-lingual desktop publishing and web design services in all languages and subject matters. Our growing client base includes corporate, public and non-profit sector clients in Canada, the United States and Europe. Our language specialists are highly trained, tested and have many years of experience in their chosen subject matter and we consistently strive to offer high-quality language services at affordable prices. New clients can take advantage of a free test translation to try out our services first hand at no cost.
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Textronics Communications Ltd. also publishes www.travelandtransitions.com, a popular web portal for unconventional travel and cross-cultural connections. Award-winning travel writer Susanne Pacher chronicles her personal journeys to places such as Havana, Mexico City, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Sicily, and various other places in Europe and North America and writes about the people behind the destinations. Compilations of these articles are now available as electronic books at the following link: http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html. In addition, the website offers interviews with fascinating personalities and tourism experts as well as practical travel advice and regional travel information.
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Japanese culture / etiquette / business practices

Japanese culture is often perceived as a very unique culture. It is a culture which positively unifies tradition and modernization through peace and harmony. The Japanese culture has evolved greatly into a contemporary hybrid culture from the country’s Jomon culture which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America.

To the West, Japanese culture remains a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Japan has developed into a unique model of hierarchy, honor and etiquette that is still reflected in many social and business practices today with its elaborate and colorful history and culture. Cooperation and harmony among all members of the group is more important in Japanese culture than an individual’s interest or desire to be put above all others. This is quite in contrast to North American culture where an emphasis on one’s rights and individualism is given prime emphasis. In Japanese culture the individual is important but he/she is considered a member of a group, family, organization, neighborhood, community or country; i.e. they are never isolated with their individual interests and so whatever they do they must keep in mind the interest of others.

Surface harmony is always maintained in the Japanese culture and so when doing business in Japan, the relationship is just as important as the business itself is. Sometimes in Japan respect, sensitivity and harmony is more important than the truth.

The Japanese usually try to avoid direct confrontation that might create discomfort or loss of face. Often the Japanese are criticized for being too vague and not being open. But the real intention might be to respect and develop a relationship. And in terms of presentation, the form is quite important or at times more important than the content itself.

In Japanese culture the status and position is usually well defined and it is expected to carry out appropriate behavior for each situation. There is a strong sense of hierarchy, rank, position or status at all times and so it very clear who should pay respect to whom.

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This post was created by Textronics Communications Ltd. (www.textronics.com), a leading language and translation services provider since 1991. Our service offering includes translation, interpretation, proofreading, narration, transcription as well multi-lingual desktop publishing and web design services in all languages and subject matters. Our growing client base includes corporate, public and non-profit sector clients in Canada, the United States and Europe. Our language specialists are highly trained, tested and have many years of experience in their chosen subject matter and we consistently strive to offer high-quality language services at affordable prices. New clients can take advantage of a free test translation to try out our services first hand at no cost.
www.textronics.com – Communicate with the World

Textronics Communications Ltd. also publishes www.travelandtransitions.com, a popular web portal for unconventional travel and cross-cultural connections. Award-winning travel writer Susanne Pacher chronicles her personal journeys to places such as Havana, Mexico City, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Sicily, and various other places in Europe and North America and writes about the people behind the destinations. Compilations of these articles are now available as electronic books at the following link: http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html. In addition, the website offers interviews with fascinating personalities and tourism experts as well as practical travel advice and regional travel information.
www.travelandtransitions.com – Life is a Journey – Explore New Horizons

Japanese business culture

• Working practices
• Punctuality is considered quite important in Japanese business culture.
• The decision making process in Japanese business has become quite swift and is usually done efficiently.
• People in Japan prefer to do business on the basis of personal relationships.
• Business appointments are more appropriate to be arranged through a personal call rather than sending a letter.
• It is important to maintain good correspondence when doing business in Japan.

• Structure and hierarchy
• Japanese companies generally have a well defined corporate hierarchical structure during meetings and negotiations but decision-making is a group process.
• Seniority is given prominence in Japanese business meetings and this is even reflected in the seating arrangements in the meeting.
• Japanese people usually look for long-term relationships and therefore it is important to have a proactive and positive approach even in the most insignificant of requests.

• Working relationships
• Since this is a collective society, even if you think you will be meeting one person, be prepared for a group meeting.
• It is important to show greater respect to the oldest member in the Japanese business culture.
• Always give a small gift, as a token of your esteem, and present it to the most senior person at the end of the meeting. Your Japanese contact can advise you on where to find something appropriate.
• Always provide a package of literature about your company including articles and client testimonials.

• Business practices
• A meeting in Japan starts with a formal and highly ceremonious exchange of business cards, a ritual referred to as meishi kokan.
• It is customary in a meeting in Japan to always direct one's initial comments to the highest-ranking person present. One never disagrees with him and always gives him his due attention.
• Written contracts are required.
• The Japanese do not see contracts as final agreements so they can be renegotiated.

Business etiquette (Do's and Don'ts)

Ö DO greet your counterparts with the proper respect and politeness. Usually a handshake is sufficient.

Ö DO avoid confrontation or evade direct or aggressive refusals.

Ö DO use apologies where the intention is serious and express gratitude frequently as it is considered polite in Japan.

× DON'T give excessive praise or encouragement to a single Japanese colleague in front of others. Remember that the group is often more important than the individual.

× DON'T address your Japanese counterpart by their first name unless invited to do so.

× DON'T use large hand gestures, unusual facial expressions or dramatic movements. The Japanese do not talk with their hands.

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This post was created by Textronics Communications Ltd. (www.textronics.com), a leading language and translation services provider since 1991. Our service offering includes translation, interpretation, proofreading, narration, transcription as well multi-lingual desktop publishing and web design services in all languages and subject matters. Our growing client base includes corporate, public and non-profit sector clients in Canada, the United States and Europe. Our language specialists are highly trained, tested and have many years of experience in their chosen subject matter and we consistently strive to offer high-quality language services at affordable prices. New clients can take advantage of a free test translation to try out our services first hand at no cost.
www.textronics.com – Communicate with the World

Textronics Communications Ltd. also publishes www.travelandtransitions.com, a popular web portal for unconventional travel and cross-cultural connections. Award-winning travel writer Susanne Pacher chronicles her personal journeys to places such as Havana, Mexico City, New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Sicily, and various other places in Europe and North America and writes about the people behind the destinations. Compilations of these articles are now available as electronic books at the following link: http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html. In addition, the website offers interviews with fascinating personalities and tourism experts as well as practical travel advice and regional travel information.
www.travelandtransitions.com – Life is a Journey – Explore New Horizons