On January 14, Professor Claire Maree (School of English and American Literature, Tsuda College) gave a lecture at ICU entitled "Language Negotiation -Onee kotoba and Japanese Gender Discourse". She discussed the theatrical characteristics of onee kotoba ("Drag queen talk" used by gays) as a kind of performance which transports listeners to another world. This explains why, in bar talk, the customers are drawn to the "mama" who uses onee kotoba to free them from the mundane everyday world. Onee kotoba also serves as a means of bonding for sexual minorities.
Prof. Marie then discussed entertainers who use onee kotoba in the media today. The popularity of stars like Osugi and Piiko is not due simply to their individual abilities but also to the increasing acceptance of sexual minorities in society. A clear break can be perceived between what the present and past generation of stars represent and Prof. Marie proposed the study of this generation gap as a topic for future research.
The many questions from the audience afterwards indicates the growing social awareness of onee kotoba. Perhaps because it is a conversational language it is a topic which is close to our daily lives.
ICU Undergraduate : Yohei TANAKA