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“Don’t Touch My Moustache”: Language Blending and Code Ambiguation by Two J-Pop Artists

2003; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 6; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13488678.2003.10801106

2331-2548

Andrew Moody, Yuko Matsumoto,

Asian Culture and Media Studies

"Code Ambiguation" is a form of language blending similar to code mixing or code switching, but, unlike these other kinds of blending, it produces an utterance that has potential meaning in both languages. Because code ambiguation purposely attempts to blur the boundary between two languages, it rarely occurs outside of creative writing. Japanese Popular (J-Pop) music uses various types of language blending, including code ambiguation, to combine English with Japanese lyrics, often in a desire to pay tribute to Western musical influences. Two types of code ambiguation are studied. The first is lyrical code ambiguation within the lyrics of the J-Pop band The Southern All Stars. Analysis of the band's lyrics demonstrates a careful attempt to blur the boundaries between Japanese and English. The second type of code ambiguation is performance ambiguation in which the artist's Japanese vocal style acquires features of English pronunciation. An analysis of the vocal style of Love Psychedelico demonstrates that the band is trying to Englishize their Japanese pronunciation. It is argued that J-Pop English is an emerging form of bilingual creativity.