Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines a comparatively recent event in the history of written Japanese, namely the process whereby a modern colloquial style was developed in the context of the overall modernization of Japan. It explores the history, characteristics, and spheres of use of the four major styles found in documents and literature at the beginning of the modern period. The book discusses the pivotal role of the modern novel in ensuring acceptance of colloquial style by both modelling it for an intellectual readership and polishing it into a medium acceptable to that readership. It considers the main arguments against colloquial style put forward by its detractors, and examines alternative proposals, including the Classical Standard. The book also explores the issues of standardization and orthographic reform, necessary adjuncts to stylistic simplification in modernizing the written language.