Identity Born from Names

Are you familiar with "A Wizard of Earthsea"?
Many of you will likely think of the Ghibli film.
In fact, that is the third volume of a fantasy novel series.
When I heard about the film adaptation, I assumed it would be the first volume.
The first volume is "A Wizard of Earthsea."
I felt that this was the one that most influenced other Ghibli works.

The Importance of Names

To put it very simply, the first volume is a story about the protagonist learning his true name, "Ged," which enhances his magical power and allows him to confront the shadow he created.
On the other hand, this true name must not be known to those around him, because he would then have to obey anyone who knows it.

What is important here is the "name."
A name is something essential that represents an object.
Without a name, that object cannot exist, and it is through having a name that the object is (and can remain) itself.

In "Spirited Away," Chihiro loses her name and becomes Sen, gradually losing sight of herself.
I believe this also stems from the influence of Earthsea and this kind of concept.
This is not limited to stories.

Concepts Created by "Names"

You all know the word "society," right?

"Entering society"
"Becoming known to society"
"Toward a diverse society"

Even if you cannot explain it like a dictionary, the concept comes to mind.
However, in the past, there was no such word as "society" (shakai).
It was not the case that people were troubled because they wanted to express this concept but had no word for it.
The concept itself did not exist in Japan.

Society is a translation of the foreign word "society."
It was only after translating the English word and creating the term "shakai"
that the concept of "society" was born in Japan.

The birth of a name (designation), the concept, and the establishment of its identity (existence) are closely related.

Names have the power to create identity and to recognize and fix it.
A name represents one's selfhood or the essence of an object.
There are many concepts and identities established in this way that we are simply not conscious of.

In other words, giving a name is very important for making an identity generally recognized.

Deaf culture

There is a word and identity that was created in America in that way.

"Deaf" in English means hearing impaired (person).
Now, are you aware that in America, "deaf" and "Deaf" are clearly distinguished?
deaf is a medical perspective, a common noun representing all people who cannot hear.
Then what about Deaf?

Deaf is a proper noun.
It is the same concept as Japanese or Arabian.
In other words, it is a name that indicates the identity of people who culturally possess Deaf culture and speak sign language as their first language.

In America, there is Gallaudet University, a university for the deaf.
A student movement occurred when it was decided that a hearing person who could not use sign language would become the president of this university, where one can learn in sign language.
"Deaf President Now!"
It is said that the word "Deaf" was born from this movement.
Deaf is a name that establishes the identity of deaf people.

This idea was also brought to Japan.

Deaf Culture Declaration

This is something I posted in an article before.

As the equivalent of Deaf, they used the term "ro-sha" (deaf person).
By calling themselves "ro-sha," they established their own identity and asserted the existence of Deaf culture and the right to live through sign language.

What is Deaf culture?

There are various Deaf cultures that differ from Japanese culture. To put it very simply,
how to applaud.

Others include:
・When saying "Everyone, please look forward,"
flicking the light switch on and off to get attention by flashing the lights
・Studying is often done not in a classroom style, but by sitting in a circle so everyone can see each other's faces
・Basically not closing doors
so the state of the room can be seen ・While Japanese people avoid looking directly into eyes when speaking, Deaf people
look into each other's eyes while talking

---I saw a Yahoo! News article title that said, "The protagonist of 'silent' looks into Tsumugi's eyes when he speaks, so he must love her!" but I personally thought it might also be Meguro-san's Deaf-style acting. (I haven't seen it, so I won't say for sure. It might really mean he loves her.)
etc.

Of course, there are also grammatical differences in sign language.
The degree of ambiguity (context) in verbalization differs from Japanese.
In Japanese, it is common to communicate ambiguously, and being too specific can feel childish.
Sign language prefers specificity. (Details omitted this time.)

By grouping these together and giving them a name, it was established as a culture and encouraged social recognition.

This "Deaf Culture Declaration" became a major controversy when it was announced.
Actually, I had written about that too, but it became unbelievably long, so I think I will save it for another occasion.

Names and Identity

Every year, even in the Buzzword Awards, new words are created and new concepts are born.
As long as there is no name, it is not recognized, but if someone who notices the concept gives it a name, that concept becomes recognized.
It's interesting, isn't it?

I also took the liberty of naming my habit of visiting everyone's articles and writing comments as
"Comment Activity (a.k.a. Kome-katsu)"!
Unfortunately, it hasn't gained much recognition lol

Setting myself aside,
why don't you try giving a name to your own uniqueness or behaviors that are uniquely you?
That concept or your own identity might become established,
making it easier to recognize or even spread to others.

If you are interested in sign language users and Deaf people, click here

I named it myself! About "note comment activity"

Self-introduction