Takao Suzuki (sociolinguist)

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Takao Suzuki (鈴木孝夫 in Japanese) is a Japanese sociolinguist, born in Tokyo in 1926. He is the author of ことばと文化, translated into English as Words in Context.

Suzuki argues that:

• Sociolinguists do not pay enough attention to the subtle differences between word usage in different cultures.
• Japanese linguists have traditionally been too occupied with Western linguistic categories, which are less than effective in studying Japanese.

[edit] Bibliography

(translated in English)

• Words in Context (ことばと文化, 1973)

(not translated in English, literal titles)

• 日本語と外国語 (Japanese Language, Foreign Language, 1990)
• 日本語は国際語になりうるか (Can Japanese Become An International Language?, 1995)
• 教養としての言語学 (Educational Linguistics, 1996)
• 日本人はなぜ英語ができないか (Why Japanese Are Bad at English, 1999)
• 人にはどれだけの物が必要か (How Much Things Does A Man Need?, 1999)
• 英語はいらない？ (No Need For English?, 2000)
• 日本・日本語・日本人 (Japan, Its Language and the People, 2001)
• 日本人はなぜ日本を愛せないのか (Why Japanese Cannot Be Patriotic, 2005)

(English works)

• A semantic analysis of present-day Japanese with particular reference to the role of Chinese characters (1963)
• Reflections on Japanese language and culture (1987)