The Ideology of Kokugo - 9780824833053

The Ideology of KokugoNationalizing Language in Modern Japan\nAuthor(s): Lee Yeounsuk, Maki Hirano Hubbard\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: University of Hawai'i Press, United States\nImprint: University of Hawai'i Press\nISBN-13: 9780824833053, 978-0824833053\nSynopsis\nAvailable for the first time in English, \""\""The Ideology of Kokugo: Nationalizing Language in Modern Japan\""\"" [tel] is Lee Yeounsuk's award-winning look at the history and ideology behind the construction of kokugo (national language). Prior to the Meiji period [tel], the idea of a single, unified Japanese language did not exist. Only as Japan was establishing itself as a modern nation-state and an empire with expanding colonies did there arise the need for a national language to construct and sustain its national identity. Re-examining debates and controversies over genbun itchi (unification of written and spoken languages) and other language reform movements, Lee discusses the contributions of Ueda Kazutoshi [tel] a.