Power in Modernization of Language and Literature in Eighteenth-Century Britain and Modern Japan

摘要

In the process of modernization, we can observe in general a shift of the written form of each language to adapt to the written culture of the new society. Both in eighteenth-century Britain and in nineteenth-century Japan, the initial phase of the shift was carried out by private individuals like authors, journalists and translators. Then, the written form invented by them became public and contributed to making canons through print culture and education. Examining comparatively the process of modernization and the shift of written language in both countries, this paper will discuss the transformation of the power of individual men of letters and some of the damage accompanying modernization of society and language, taking the post-modern situation of the twenty-first century into account.