This graduate thesis analyses the use of Japanese first person pronouns in the novel Scattered
All Over the Earth by the author Yoko Tawada. In its theoretical part it analyses the
philosophical definition of qualitative identity, self-identification and the individual's
relation to social roles. It connects these terms with the socio-cultural lingusitic
understanding of idenitity as a process that is formed in relation to others and in concrete
fictional or real-life communication situations. It then analyses the use and meanings of
Japanese first-person pronouns, specifically from the viewpoint of socio-cultural linguistics.
The first person pronouns, used in the discussed novel are watashi (わたし), watashi (私),
ore (俺), ore (オレ), boku (僕), watakushi (わたくし), atashi (あたし) and washi (わし).
They occur 1047 times in total. The most frequent pronoun is boku (314 times), followed by
watashi written in hiragana. The more formal or stylistically marked pronouns occur only
rarely. The pronouns watakushi, atashi and washi are used exclusively by supportive
characters, watakushi in very formal situations, atashi in informal situations and washi in
the speech of an older person. The analysis shows that the linguistic choice of first person
pronouns does not merely reflect an already formed identity, but instead also participates in
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its continuous formation and social recognition. The thesis presents the role of Japanese first
person pronouns in the creation of identity via language and examines what we can tell about
the speaker via their use of pronouns.
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