Foreign Student (hereinafter FS): English is increasingly being used as an international language. How has it affected the Japanese language? Teacher (hereinafter, T): Many countries are fearful that their native languages will die out. These days the majority of information is in English. For small countries, it costs a huge amount of money to have this information translated. Countries with multiple languages suffer even more. In this respect, the population of Japan is approximately 130 million. Furthermore, only Japanese is spoken. Despite being influenced by English, it is not likely that the Japanese language will die out. Quite the contrary, there’s a possibility that the Japanese language itself will spread along with Japanese cultural influences. FS: Why do you think so? T: The original language of Japan was Yamato Kotoba. In ancient times, kanji from China was incorporated into the language. In addition, hiragana and katakana were created from kanji. In modern times, by using katakana, Western terms, most particularly English vocabulary, has been incorporated into Japanese. In short, from its ancient roots, the Japanese language has evolved over time just like AI. FS: However, this has made Japanese complicated, hasn’t it? T: Japanese people are not accomplished when it comes to creating something completely new. However, they are good at improving on existing products. You could say that this can be seen in Japanese cultural traditions such as cookery. Ramen, which was originally an import from China, is now widely accepted the world over as being a Japanese dish. FS: What are the characteristics of Yamato Kotoba? T: Like a poem, it sounds soft, gentle, and pleasant. For instance, “hometown” is “kokyou” in kanji. In Yamato Kotoba it is the softer sounding “furusato.” If you say “kanaderu” (playing a musical instrument) instead of “ensou suru,” it sounds like a beautiful melody. If you say “dakyou suru” (to make a compromise) it sounds like you are reluctantly giving in. However, if you say “oriau,” it gives the impression that you are making allowances for the feelings of other people. FS: Are there any rules for identifying Yamato Kotoba? T: Most words, except for kanji compound terms and imported vocabulary from the West, are Yamato Kotoba. Apart from those with “suru” attached to the end – as in “bennnkyou suru” – most verbs are Yamato Kotoba. Because kanji incorporated Yamato Kotoba, it can be used to express subtle differences of meaning. FS: Please give me some examples. T: For instance, different kanji can be used for “toru,” as in “mono wo toru” 取る (take something), “eiga wo toru” 撮る (film a movie), and “bo-ru wo toru” 捕る (catch a ball). In this way, depending on the situation, Japanese can be used for a variety of different purposes.