Linguistics and Life

2026/04/01

I study linguistics. My field of linguistics, and especially sociolinguistics, is a remarkably inexpensive discipline to study. After all, research materials are found all around us in everyday life. English and Japanese are important resources for me, but not the polished versions you’d find in some distant, idealized context. It’s language as we use it every day to get by, sometimes struggle with, and even find joy in. When practicing eikaiwa, the Japanese word for “English conversation,” people often say that language is just a tool and that you shouldn’t get hung up on grammar or the little details. But while this approach might be fine for eikaiwa, we shouldn’t dismiss the tool of language itself. Tools have complex and multi-layered functionality. And as a tool, language may be inexpensive, but it is anything but simple—it’s a treasure trove of topics to explore.    

Take, for example, the Japanese word eikaiwa itself. It’s often translated into English as “English conversation,” but this phrase is rarely ever used by native speakers of English. Eikaiwa is a distinctly Japanese social phenomenon. English, like any other language, is just one among many, but everyone recognizes its special status on the global stage. The way English is received in Japan—and what it means to Japanese people—is another rich sociolinguistic topic, and anything but straightforward.    

My research isn’t limited to the inward-looking relationship between Japanese people, the Japanese language, and English. The global dissemination of Japanese content, especially anime, through English subtitles and dubbing is another key focus of my sociolinguistic research. What I find particularly intriguing is that the nature of English translations began to shift around the year 2000. I call this the “Anime Y2K.” The primary factor is the transformation in the relationship between media, the internet, and society.

Linguistics and sociolinguistics grapple with the banality of everyday life, but the very nature of everyday life is now being radically transformed by advances in technology. The intersection of language and technology is now rapidly moving into a new dimension: our relationship with AI. The pace is so rapid that linguistics is struggling to keep up. Shifts in linguistics, in fact, mirror broader societal transformations.

Whether through my outreach on YouTube, working with language-focused NPOs, or communication consulting for companies, I’m not aiming to be a “cool” social activist. Rather, I hope to discover new horizons in linguistics by living linguistically. For me, doing linguistics is nothing less than living in society itself.