Английская Википедия:Baka (Japanese word)
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Redirect Шаблон:Other uses Шаблон:Italics title Baka (Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang in hiragana, or Шаблон:Lang in katakana) means "fool", or (as an adjectival noun) "foolish" and is the most frequently used pejorative term in the Japanese language.[1] This word baka has a long history, an uncertain etymology (possibly from Sanskrit or Classical Chinese) and linguistic complexities.
Word
The modern Japanese writing system transcribes the insult baka as Шаблон:Lang in katakana, Шаблон:Lang in hiragana, or Шаблон:Lang (Шаблон:Lit. "horse deer") in ateji phonetic kanji transcription; earlier ateji renderings included Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, Шаблон:Lang, or Шаблон:Lang.[2]
History
The first written usages of baka were during the Nanboku-chō period (1336–1392), when the "Northern and Southern Courts" battled.
In the earliest example, the Taiheiki historical epic records bakamono (Шаблон:Lang) being used as an insult in 1342.[3] The Ashikaga commander Toki Yoritō (Шаблон:Lang) refuses to pay obeisance to retired Emperor Kōgon (Шаблон:R. 1313–1364), "Yoritō, probably inebriated, loudly demands to know what kind of fool (bakamono) has the temerity to order him to dismount." According to Carr, "Shinmura [Izuru] found that the original editions (fourteenth century) of the Taiheiki had baka written Шаблон:Lang; [while] later movable-type editions (c. 1600) had the characters Шаблон:Lang."[4][5]
A Bunmei-era (1469–1487) edition of the Setsuyōshū dictionary notes baka Шаблон:Lang, which was also written Шаблон:Lang (lit. "mother bride"), Шаблон:Lang (lit. "horse bride"), or Шаблон:Lang (lit. "break family"), means rōzeki Шаблон:Lang "disorder; confusion".[6]
Many classical Japanese texts used baka. For instance, the (c. 1616) Kōyō Gunkan military chronicle transcribed baka as Шаблон:Lang. Ihara Saikaku's (1682) Kōshoku Ichidai Otoko (Шаблон:Lang; "The Life of an Amorous Man"), which was a classic of the Ukiyozōshi genre, wrote baka with the modern kanji Шаблон:Lang.
Etymologies
Although the origins of baka are uncertain, Japanese scholars have proposed various etymologies and folk etymologies. The two most widely cited are a Classical Chinese idiom and a loanword from Sanskrit.
First, the oldest hypothesis suggests that baka originated as a Chinese literary "allusion to a historical fool", the Qin Dynasty traitor Zhao Gao (Шаблон:Abbr 207 BCE) from the Records of the Grand Historian.[4] This etymology first appears in the (c. 1548) Unbo Irohashū (Шаблон:Lang) dictionary, which glosses baka Шаблон:Lang as meaning "point at a deer and say horse" (指鹿曰馬).[6] Namely, the Chinese idiom zhǐlù-wéimǎ (Шаблон:Lang; lit. "point at a deer and call it a horse", Japanese Шаблон:Lang Shika o Sashite Uma to Nasu) meaning "deliberate misrepresentation for ulterior purposes". Zhao was an infamous minister who served the first emperor Qin Shi Huang (r. 246–221 BCE) and forced the second Qin Er Shi (r. 210–207 BCE) to commit suicide.
Zhao Gao was contemplating treason but was afraid the other officials would not heed his commands, so he decided to test them first. He brought a deer and presented it to the Second Emperor but called it a horse. The Second Emperor laughed and said, "Is the chancellor perhaps mistaken, calling a deer a horse?" Then the emperor questioned those around him. Some remained silent, while some, hoping to ingratiate themselves with Zhao Gao, said it was a horse, and others said it was a deer. Zhao Gao secretly arranged for all those who said it was a deer to be brought before the law. Thereafter the officials were all terrified of Zhao Gao.[7]
The Japanese idiom first appears in the 11th-century novel The Tale of Genji.
Kokiden flew into a rage. "A man out of favor with His Majesty is expected to have trouble feeding himself. And here he is living in a fine stylish house and saying awful things about all of us. No doubt the grovelers around him are assuring him that a deer is a horse.[8]
Second, the most linguistically sound etymology is that baka derives from a Sanskrit word meaning "fool".[2][4] According to the Japanese linguist and lexicographer Shinmura Izuru,[6] the Edo-period scholar Amano Sadakage (Шаблон:Lang; 1663–1733) originally suggested that Japanese Buddhist priests coined the word baka from Sanskrit.[6] Modern reference works give two possible Sanskrit sources for the word, moha (transcribed 慕何) "foolish" and mahallaka (摩訶羅) "stupid".[2][6][9] Sanskrit moha (Шаблон:Lang) means "bewilderment, loss of consciousness, delusion, folly" and comes from the root muh meaning "bewildered, perplexed, confused". Sanskrit mahallaka means "senile, feeble minded, stupid, decrepit" and comes from mūrkha (Шаблон:Lang), meaning "dull, stupid, foolish, inexperienced; fool".[10]
Other proposed etymologies for baka are less reliable. Two Edo-period dictionaries proposed that baka derived from: ōmaka Шаблон:Lang "generous; unsparing" (Rigen Shūran Шаблон:Lang) or bokeru Шаблон:Lang "grow senile; dote; become feeble-minded" (Matsuya Hikki Шаблон:Lang).[4][6]
Related words
The same 馬鹿 "horse deer" characters that transcribe baka are also used for names in Chinese zoological nomenclature and Japanese mythology.
In Chinese, mǎlù (Шаблон:Lang) refers to the red deer (Cervus elaphus), Japanese akashika Шаблон:Lang.
Mumashika is a rare alternate Japanese reading of Шаблон:Lang that names a yōkai demon with a horse's head and deer's body. The c. 1832 Hyakki Yagyō Emaki (Шаблон:Lang; "Hyakki Yagyō emakimono") depicts it with one eye, a horse's mouth and ears, and deer horn and hooves.
Meanings
Based on semantic analyses of baka entries in Japanese dictionaries and thesauruses, the lexicographer Michael Carr differentiates eight interrelated meanings.[4]
Three basic "fool; foolish" meanings distinguish baka1 "ass; jerk; fool", baka2 "ament; idiot; imbecile; fool" (ament is a rare word for "congenitally mentally deficient"), and baka3 "blockhead; dullard; dimwit; simpleton; dolt; fool". These are found in many frequently-used Japanese expressions. Some more insulting lexemes are bakamono Шаблон:Lang "stupid,fool,idiot", ōbaka Шаблон:Lang "big fool damned idiot", and baka-yarō Шаблон:Lang "stupid jerk, ass, asshole, dumbass". Some compounds are baka yoke Шаблон:Lang "foolproof; idiot-proof", baka warai Шаблон:Lang "foolish/horse laugh" and baka zura Шаблон:Lang "foolish face; stupid look"; and some verb phrases are baka ni suru Шаблон:Lang "make a fool of (someone); treat with contempt", baka yobawarisuru Шаблон:Lang "call (someone) a fool", and baka o miru Шаблон:Lang "make a fool/ass of (oneself)".
Two extended meanings of baka4 "worthless" and baka5 "excess" expand upon "folly; foolishness". Baka4 "worthless; foolish; valueless; trifling; insignificant" is used in expressions such as bakageta Шаблон:Lang "foolish; absurd; ridiculous"; bakana Шаблон:Lang "foolish; silly; stupid"; and bakarashii Шаблон:Lang, bakabakarashii Шаблон:Lang, or bakakusai Шаблон:Lang, all meaning "foolish; absurd; ridiculous". It is further used in phrases like baka ie Шаблон:Lang "Nonsense!; Go on!", and bakana mane o suru Шаблон:Lang "do a foolish thing; act foolishly". Baka5 "excess; foolish; absurd; extreme; extravagant" is found in a number of expressions: bakani Шаблон:Lang or bakabakashiku Шаблон:Lang "awfully; terribly; extremely"; bakayasui Шаблон:Lang "ridiculously/dirt cheap"; bakane Шаблон:Lang or bakadakai Шаблон:Lang "ridiculously expensive"; bakateinei Шаблон:Lang "excessive politeness"; and bakashōjiki Шаблон:Lang "honest to a fault".
Three special meanings are unrelated semantic connections. Baka6 "trough shell" is a truncation of bakagai Шаблон:Lang "trough shell; Mactra chinensis". Baka7 "numbness (of limbs)" is used in the expression baka ni naru Шаблон:Lang, and baka8 means "(an antique kind of) coin counter".
Usages
In Japanese in MangaLand: Learning the Basics, Marc Bernabe listed baka as "the most commonly used" and the "top swearword" in Japan.[11] Usages of this term can be discussed in terms of pragmatic depth, dialectal variation, and proper names.
Pragmatics
The linguistic pragmatics of using insults like baka can be language specific. For instance, Japanese has fewer words for calling someone a "fool" than English. Jack Seward recounts asking his language teacher "to prepare a list of the most stunning and forcible insults, pejoratives, and curses in Japanese", but was surprised that the "short, unimaginative, and seeming ineffectual" list had only two words: baka "fool" and chikushō Шаблон:Lang "beast".[12]
Carr proposes that intentional vagueness explains the comparatively small lexical field of Japanese insults.
One likely reason for the relatively few Japanese words for 'fool' is vagueness. In both English and Japanese, the words for 'fool' have meanings that vary along scales of friendly–hostile, or joking–serious. In English, at one end of a scale are words like silly goose and at the other end are words like stupid asshole. And in Japanese, at one end are words like kamaboko baka Шаблон:Lang 'silly chump' and at the other end are words like baka-yarō Шаблон:Lang 'damn fool'. The difference is in the degree of lexical diversification along the scales of meaning. English seems to have more 'fool' words with more specificity – Japanese seems to have fewer 'fool' words with more vagueness. There are decided pragmatic and communicative advantages to such lexical vagueness. If you call me a stupid son-of-a-bitch, I know exactly what you mean. But if you call me a baka-yarō, I cannot be so sure of what you mean. The expression baka-yarō Шаблон:Lang is one of the most insulting terms in the Japanese lexicon, but it is vague and can range in meaning from an affectionate 'silly-willy' to an abusive 'jerk-off fool'. Baka-yarō is so widely used that it has become semantically weak and vague. Such vagueness can serve to conceal hostility and thus to maintain social harmony.[4]
Dialectal
According to Marc Bernabe, Japanese dialects show regional variations between using baka in Kantō dialect and aho Шаблон:Lang or Шаблон:Lang "fool; idiot; jackass" in Kansai dialect. In addition, the insult aho has more of a slang connotation than baka. Many Japanese dictionaries treat the words baka and aho as synonyms. "However, in Osaka and its surroundings, aho is a rather non-offensive word, whereas baka is an explosive word." Nevertheless, "In Tokyo and its surroundings, we find exactly the opposite, so you must be careful with the usage of these words."[11]
Proper names
Baka frequently occurs in proper nouns. Examples from Japanese pop music include albums (Pretty Little Baka Guy, Ai no Baka "Love Fool") and songs ("Suki Sugite Baka Mitai" "To Like [Him] Too Much and Look Like a Fool"). Some titles from modern Japanese literature are Tsuribaka Nisshi ("Fishing Fool's Diary"), Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs ("Dog Fool"), Karate Baka Ichidai ("A Karate-Crazy Life"), and Baka to Test to Shōkanjū ("Idiots, Tests, and Summoned Creatures").
English
During World War II, baka was American military slang for the Imperial Japanese Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka kamikaze flying bomb.[13] The earliest recorded usage was in Newsweek on May 7, 1945, "American forces have officially designated this bomb as 'baka', baka being Japanese for foolish, silly, or stupid."[14] In modern times, baka has often been used in anime communities. This has also led to the satirical and ironic use of baka to call someone a fool or mock anime communities, especially in Internet meme spaces.[15]
See also
References
External links
- ばか【馬鹿, 莫迦, 破家】, jeKai
- What Does Baka Mean in Japanese – and Why You (Probably) Shouldn’t Use It, Coto Japanese Academy
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite encyclopedia
- ↑ 2,0 2,1 2,2 Шаблон:Cite encyclopedia
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ 4,0 4,1 4,2 4,3 4,4 4,5 Шаблон:Cite journal
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ 6,0 6,1 6,2 6,3 6,4 6,5 Шаблон:Cite book, p.
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite encyclopedia
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ 11,0 11,1 Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite journal
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
