The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will host Dr. Edwin Everhart and his talk "Language Standardization and Hougen Resistance in Tohoku, Japan" on March 31 via Zoom.
104 years since the Japanese state formally designated a standard spoken language, Edwin Everhart argues that standardization is still an active process. Focusing on language of the Touhoku region, Everhart describes how some language users resist the hegemony of standard language and the discourse that local dialect is obsolescent, ugly, or backward. Drawing on ethnography, interviews, and archives of “language activists” from the last thirty years, he argues that this resistance can be understood in terms of the techniques and metaphors that activists use to legitimize their local language.The presentation starts at 12:00 and those interested can join the Zoom meeting here.
