Cultural Differences between English and Japanese Synesthetic Expressions with Color Terms : The Real Meaning of Synesthesia and Japanese Situation-Centered Expressions for Onomatopoeia

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Other Title
  • 色彩語を含む共感覚表現に見られる日英語の文化的相違 : 共感覚現象の意味・日本語オノマトペの状況中心性
  • シキサイゴ オ フクム キョウカンカク ヒョウゲン ニ ミラレル ニチエイゴ ノ ブンカテキ ソウイ キョウカンカク ゲンショウ ノ イミ ニホンゴ オノマトペ ノ ジョウキョウ チュウシンセイ

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In present-day color terminology, there are many synesthetic expressions composed of sensory expressions which exhibit similarities between English and Japanese, such as "loud colors" (sou-shoku in Japanese), "soft red" (yawarakai-aka), "warm colors" (dan-shoku, atatakai-iro), cold colors" (kan-shoku, tumetai-iro), "hard colors" (katai-iro) and "soft colors" (yawarakai-iro: ochitsuita-iro). There are also some synesthetic expressions consisting of sensory expressions which have no similarity between English and Japanese, such as "a quiet color" (hearing+sight) (shibui-iro in Japanese: taste+sight) and "a shrill [squeaky] voice" (hearing+hearing) (ki'iroi-koe: sight+hearing); here reflect cultural differences between English and Japanese The Japanese synesthetic color expression shibui-iro is one of the situation-centered expressions and reflects a Japanese sense of beauty that has respect for moderate compound colors and `modesty', a Japanese traditional virtue. In addition, the present paper shows that the Japanese onomatopoeia "wan-wan" of "inu-ga wan-wan hoeru" ("dogs bowwow" in English) is an adverb and one of the situation-centered expressions, and that the English onomatopoeia "bowwow" of "dogs bowwow" is a verb and one of the agent-centered expressions, as well as the real meaning of synesthesia.

Journal

  • 研究論集

    研究論集 86 19-37, 2007-09

    Kansai Gaidai University

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