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Entangled SocietyObservatory of Consequences

CASE 09

Uchi / Soto / 内・外

When Language Draws a Social Boundary

← 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

  • ANaming

    Naming

  • BKinship

    Kinship

  • COrganization

    Organization

  • DLanguage Register

    Language Register

  • ETrust

    Trust

  • FGeography

    Geography

  • GDigital Platforms

    Digital Platforms

  • HEntanglement

    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?