Language and Cross-Cultural Romance

Globalization is usually applied to economics and politics. However, the conduct of intercultural dating shows that globalization can also be a part of personal relationships and social interaction. Experts such as Ma and Kelsky describe intercultural romances in terms of social commentary. Ma cites the stereotype of the Western dominant man in search of the submissive Asian woman (Ma, 1996a). Kelsky describes the lurid image of the so-called "yellow cabs," the name given to affluent young Japanese women who are criticized by mainstream Japanese culture because they travel the world in search of gaijin, or non-Japanese, lovers (1996, p. 173). Kelsky criticizes the critics of yellow cabs. She says that these critics fear yellow cabs' independence. The critics are trying to show that yellow cabs are being socially destructive to Japanese culture.

The point is that both Kelsky and Ma are mainly interested in "macro" social criticism. A closer look at the personal dynamics of such relationsh

. . .
ting a Japanese girl because of similarity of customs and culture with Japanese girls. However, he also referred to differences because when he "could speak in my native language, I can express my feelings easily, more straight" (Trans. #28, 2002). This approach shows the fundamental cultural role that language plays in emotional experience and the reliance on the language of thought to accomplish the language of feeling. This Japanese male's American girlfriend had informal interest in the Japanese language. That is, she wanted to know how to say such things as "I love you" or "Let's go to McDonald's." When it was suggested that she used Japanese "just to have fun," he replied: "I believe she used it when she really wanted to say it from the bottom of her heart" (Trans. #28, 2002). She would use Japanese expressions of support when cheering him up after he lost in sports, and he would answer in Japanese in such cases. Further, he stated that, had he married the American girl, his particular parents, who were "eager to learn English," would not "force her into a Japanese role, or stereotypical housewife." On the other hand, he acknowledged that Japanese in-laws expect western spouses to function in the Japanese language. Furtherm
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
English Japan, Ma Kelsky, Deborah Tannen's, English Trans#22, Let's McDonald's, Literally Japanese, English Trans, Japan Japanese, , Japan Ma, #39 2002, #28 2002, personal communication, 2002 personal, trans #39, trans #39 2002, western wives, 2002 personal communication, personal communication japanese, communication japanese, express feelings, japanese wives, japanese female, trans #28 2002, communication japanese female,
Approximate Word count = 2265
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Language and Cross-Cultural Romance