Skip to content
Notes of Oak
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Self-Portrait
The Japanese Linguistic Landscape by Nakanishi Susumu Book Review Book Review

‘The Japanese Linguistic Landscape’ is Quintessential Reading

  • 10/15/201910/16/2019
  • by Hannah Huff

A BOOK REVIEW OF NAKANISHI SUSUMU’S NONFICTION TEXT — THE JAPANESE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE: REFLECTIONS ON QUINTESSENTIAL WORDS (AUGUST 2019)


Recently published by Japan Library as an English translation, Nakanishi Susumu’s The Japanese Linguistic Landscape: Reflections on Quintessential Words is many things: essay collection, gathering of reflections, distilled wordstock, linguistic history, and philosophy for living. But above all, the text maps out a poetic landscape punctuated by beautiful word-landmarks. The waypoints on this map are both literal elements in reality, e.g. “folded layers of mountains,” “traditional hair ornament,” and “light blue,” and also the Japanese words that represent these real things. The poetry of these curated “quintessential words” amplifies the significance of the literal elements/phenomena they denote. That is, by considering the nuances of the language we use to describe our world, the author helps us chart powerful new intellectual and emotional connections to that world.

Read more “‘The Japanese Linguistic Landscape’ is Quintessential Reading” →

SEARCH FOR POETIC BULLION

BLOG POST CATEGORIES

  • Book Review 9
  • Discover Literature 5
  • Literary Analysis 4
  • Poeticize the Prosaic 1
  • Reader Lifestyle 6

RECENT POSTS

  • Photo of LA for Visit These 10 SoCal Literary Landmarks Notes of Oak BlogVisit These 10 SoCal Literary Landmarks
  • Photo of Ill Nature by Joy Williams with bamboo for book review on Notes of Oak literary blog‘Ill Nature’ is Even More Vital in 2018
  • Photo of Book Shelves for 5 Creative Book Titles Blog Post Notes of Oak Literary BlogHere’s Why These 5 Creative Book Titles Work
  • Literary Submissions Guide 2019 Blog HeaderLiterary Submissions Guide – 2019 Edition
  • Prose poetry book collection on a table for Notes of Oak literary blog postProse Poetry: What’s the Point?

Please visit your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription to receive new Notes of Oak blog posts via e-mail.

Follow Me

© 2023 Hannah Huff
Theme by Colorlib Powered by WordPress
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Self-Portrait