Japanese “Standard Women’s Language” Viewed from the Perspective of Language Policies

SSR

Scientific and Social Research

2661-43322981-9946

Bio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.

10.26689/ssr.v8i9.15748

Article

Japanese “Standard Women’s Language” Viewed from the Perspective of Language Policieshttps://artdesignp.com/journal/SSR/8/9/10.26689/ssr.v8i9.15748ZhaoHong

2026

2026-10-21

Japanese women’s language is traditionally regarded as attributable to women’s physiological qualities as well as the linguistic characteristics of the Japanese language. This point of view, however, does not hold true for the “standard women’s language” that occurred in Japan’s modern history. This paper examines the “standard women’s language” from the perspective of language policies and, through citing and analyzing relevant documents, attempts to prove that the so-called “standard women’s language” is a concept resulting from the normalization of the relationships between gender, language, and power, and the product of the process of Japan’s modernization.Japanese women’s language, Language policies, The concept of “Standard Women’s Language”, Normalization

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