English in Japanese society: Language within language

This paper highlights one of the most conspicuous socio‐linguistic issues involving English in Japanese society: English loan words in Japanese. Lexical, grammatical, and pragmatic borrowing from English into Japanese is a complex phenomenon and is explored here in three mutually related terms: structural, functional, and socio‐linguistic. First, a formal analysis is presented to show structural and semantic changes which English loans go through in their Japanisation processes. Second, the roles that they are expected to play (especially as euphemisms) are depicted. Third, the social factors that drive the influx are examined from the perspective of the nation's kanji restriction policy and compulsory English teaching programme.