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Entangled SocietyObservatory of Consequences

CASE 09

Uchi / Soto / 内・外

When Language Draws a Social Boundary

Language Position: Infrastructure + Symptom

Outcome: Social BoundaryRELATIONSHIP

← Back to Language-Born Culture

Observation / Hypothesis

Shared Frame

Language to Protocol

  1. 01

    Language

  2. 02

    Emotion

  3. 03

    Body

  4. 04

    Community

  5. 05

    Style

  6. 06

    Protocol

Language → Emotion → Body → Community → Style → Global Protocol

Case Variation

Language to Social Boundary

  1. 01

    Language

  2. 02

    Boundary

  3. 03

    Belonging

  4. 04

    Social Distance

  5. 05

    Behavior

  6. 06

    Norm

Language → Boundary → Belonging → Social Distance → Behavior → Norm

01. Place

01. Place

  • 家の中 / 外
  • 店の中 / 外
  • 学校の中 / 外
  • 会社の中 / 外

Hypothesis

02. Boundary

02. Boundary

  • 家族の一員として
  • 会社員として
  • 友人として
  • 顧客として
  • 地域住民として

Moving Boundary

Moving Boundary

  1. 01

    Context A → Inside

  2. 02

    Context B → Outside

Boundary ≠ Fixed Line

03. Belonging

03. Belonging

  • 家族
  • 組織
  • 仲間
  • チーム
  • 共同体

Belonging

Membership → Recognition → Belonging

  1. 01

    Membership

  2. 02

    Recognition

  3. 03

    Belonging

04. Language Register

04. Language Register

Boundary

vs

Language Register

  • 敬語
  • 呼称
  • 自分側の人物の扱い
  • 説明の仕方
  • 丁寧さ
  • 距離

05. Social Distance

05. Social Distance

  • →

  • →

  • →

  • →

  • →

Hypothesis

Distance Regulation

Distance Regulation

  1. 01

    Boundary

  2. 02

    Distance

  3. 03

    Behavior

06. Information

06. Information

  • →

  • →

07. Behavior

07. Behavior

  • →

  • →

Hypothesis

Boundary as Protocol

Boundary as Protocol

  1. 01

    Inside / Outside

  2. 02

    Expected Distance

  3. 03

    Expected Language

  4. 04

    Expected Behavior

08. Norm

08. Norm

  • →

  • →

  • →

Hypothesis

Place Without Geography

Place Without Geography

  1. 01

    No Physical Place

  2. 02

    Shared Boundary

  3. 03

    Social Space

09. Global Protocol

09. Global Protocol

Comparison

Physical Space ≠ Social Space

Physical Space

Social Space

Comparison

Membership ≠ Belonging?

Membership

Belonging

Comparison

Inclusion / Exclusion

Inclusion

Exclusion

Comparison

Inside / Outside ≠ Uchi / Soto?

Inside / Outside

Uchi / Soto

Vertical / Horizontal Structure

Vertical / Horizontal Structure

  • Senpai / Kohai → Vertical Role
  • Uchi / Soto → Boundary

Trust Boundary

Trust Boundary

Hierarchy / Boundary / Power

Hierarchy / Boundary / Power

  • Senpai / Kohai → Vertical Order
  • Uchi / Soto → Inside / Outside Boundary
  • Hierarchy + Boundary → Power Structure

Online Uchi / Soto

Online Uchi / Soto

  • private group
  • followers only
  • Discord / community
  • closed account
  • group chat
  • internal Slack
  • public timeline

Place Without Geography

Place Without Geography

Entangled View

Language Does Not Act Alone

  • Family
  • Company
  • School
  • Community
  • Language register
  • Trust
  • Information
  • Geography
  • Digital platform
  • Role
  • Hierarchy

Mutation Model

Origin to Circulation

  1. 01

    Origin

  2. 02

    Translation

  3. 03

    Mutation

  4. 04

    Circulation

Market

Boundary / Organization Tension

Inside Path

  1. 01

    Shared context

    ↓

  2. 02

    Trust

    ↓

  3. 03

    Information access

    ↓

  4. 04

    Responsibility

Outside Path

  1. 01

    Formal explanation

    ↓

  2. 02

    Limited information

    ↓

  3. 03

    Courtesy

    ↓

  4. 04

    Maintained distance

Counter Hypotheses

Counter Hypotheses

  • A — Naming

    Naming

  • B — Kinship

    Kinship

  • C — Organization

    Organization

  • D — Language Register

    Language Register

  • E — Trust

    Trust

  • F — Geography

    Geography

  • G — Digital Platforms

    Digital Platforms

  • H — Entanglement

    Entanglement

Cross-case Comparison

Related Cases

Current Case Axis

Language → Boundary → Belonging → Social Distance → Behavior → Norm

Connected Observatories

Connections

Research Questions

Research Questions

Does “uchi / soto” describe where people are, or decide how close they are allowed to be?