Words in Context: A Japanese Perspective on Language and Culture

Observing the nuances of language, Shunji Suzuki contends, is more complicated than simply cataloging speech patterns. Language includes a set of unconscious expectations that communicate much, much more.

Words in Context is an exploration of the intimate relationship between language and lifestyle, psychology, and culture. Suzuki convincingly illustrates the dangers of isolating words from their cultural context, and focuses on the types of misperceptions that result from such widely held practices. Citing examples from Japanese and other languages, he demonstrates how words carry nuanced cultural baggage and must be considered in the broader context of culture, history, and social mores to fully appreciate their potency.