More Japanese than the Japanese: Translations of interviews with foreigners

摘要

A striking feature in interviews of non-Japanese speakers is that the translations of the interviewees' answers use more gender markers than would currently be heard in the replies of native speakers. Sentence-final particles such as ze and zo (indicating strong assertion, and used by men), and wa and yo (indicating mild assertion and establishing an emotional connection, and used by. women) are employed much more often, almost to the point of exaggeration. This paper will explore the reasons why, and the extent to which, gender in the Japanese language is magnified in the interpreted utterances of those who don't speak the language.