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THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MYTHOPOETIC STRATEGY OF LEGITIMATION IN JAPANESE PEDAGOGICAL DISCOURSE // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2020. Issue 6 (212). P. 20-26

Introduction. The current paper is dedicated to studying one of the 4 discursive strategies of legitimation identified by discourse analyst T. van Leeuwen, mythopoesis. The aim of the study is to reveal specific features of realization of legitimation discursive strategies and to interpret the results in the context of nature of education policy in Japan. Material and methods. The focus of our study is Japanese modern educational system and textbooks of the Course of Moral Education for elementary and secondary schools provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, MEXT. In order to uncover the legitimation strategies in the Course of Moral Education we used the method of discourse analysis and also the critical discourse analysis. Moreover, the method of content analysis and cultural linguistics method are also used. Results and discussion. All the sub-strategies of mythopoesis that was identified by T. van Leeuwen are found in textbooks. Moral tale demonstrates how protagonist achieves success relying on perseverance and diligence, which are in directly linked to the Japanese value gambari. Another story which refers to the inversion is also addresses to this value. Inversion is achieved by endowing the animals from the forest with the qualities of real social actors. The cautionary tale, in contrast, illustrates how the protagonist’s willfulness and unwillingness to obey social principles lead to his exclusion from the society. The symbolization story is an allusion of Japanese society itself with its laws and traditions. Conclusion. The analysis allows to identify the main areas of Japanese pedagogy, as well as to identify the values that are transmitted to the Japanese younger generation through pedagogical discourse. Although Japanese education is modelled after the Western countries’ system, it is still in close connection with moral standards which were the main construct of Japanese society from old centuries.

Keywords: pedagogical discourse, legitimacy, discursive strategies, discourse analysis, mythopoesis, Japanese language, education in Japan

Linguistic representation of heterostereotypes in Japanese pedagogical discourse (based on the Japanese language textbooks for foreigners) // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2023. Issue 3 (227). P. 40-47

In the 20th century, the phenomenon of stereotype started to attract wide scientific attention in the field of humanities, due to the occurred awareness of the influence of socio-cultural context on an individual. Nowadays we can see a growing interest in the research of stereotyping in pedagogical discourse, because while being seemingly unbiased, pedagogical discourse is subject to ideological influence and involves perception of information that inevitably transmits ethnic and cultural stereotypes and prejudices. That fact forms the necessity of detecting and researching the ideological content in written foreign language learning materials. The aim is to describe various ways in which heterostereotypes are verbalized in Japanese language textbooks for foreigners. The research is based on Japanese language textbooks for foreigners of elementary and intermediate level of proficiency. The major methods used are qualitative-quantitative, contextual and discourse analysis as well as some elements of linguocultural analysis. In the content of the analyzed textbooks we see the elements of stereotypical image of a foreigner represented by various linguistic means. On the vocabulary level, there are multiple positive characteristics of appearance, personality traits and Japanese language skills of the foreign characters residing in Japan. At the same time, grammatical structures, the existence of presupposition in some sentences, and the thematic selection of narratives often emphasize the insufficient level of integration of the foreign characters into Japanese society through the presumption of their temporary status in Japan. In addition, foreigners, especially Western culture bearers, are often shown making communicative mistakes, violating Japanese etiquette rules and causing trouble for Japanese characters. The analysis demonstrates main stereotypical features of the image of a foreigner in Japanese textbooks and the ways of their linguistic representation. Established patterns reveal the contradiction between the intentional transmission of the message of Japan’s openness towards foreigners and the perception of a foreigner as a member of the “out-group” that is deeply rooted in Japanese culture.

Keywords: stereotype, heterostereotype, linguoculturology, Japanese language, pedagogical discourse, Japanese language textbooks