Wasei-eigo in Airport Linguistic Landscape: Functions and Meaning Shift Patterns in a Major International Airport in Japan

Authors

  • Febiauliya Supriatna Putri
  • Vera Yulianti

Keywords:

international communication, linguistic landscape, major international airport, meaning shift, wasei-eigo

Abstract

The phenomenon of wasei-eigo is a form of adaptation of English vocabulary into Japanese
that has evolved in response to the social and cultural needs of Japanese society. Its use is
commonly found in the linguistic landscape of public spaces, including international airports,
which serve as multilingual communication spaces. This study aims to identify the use of
wasei-eigo in the linguistic landscape at major international airports in Japan and to analyse
the functions and phenomena of meaning shifts found in the data. This study employs a
qualitative descriptive method using documentation techniques to examine various signage,
information boards, service guides, and visual media featuring wasei-eigo expressions. Data
were collected during an internship from September 2025 to May 2026. They analysed using
the Linguistic Landscape theory by Landry and Bourhis (1997), Nambu's (2025) concept of
the Japanese linguistic landscape, and Ullmann's (1972) theory of semantic change.
The findings indicate that wasei-eigo is widely used throughout the airport and primarily serves
an informational function. Most of the data retained meanings similar to their original English
counterparts and did not undergo semantic change. These findings suggest that the use of
wasei-eigo in a major international airport setting prioritises informational clarity and effective
communication for users with diverse linguistic backgrounds. Nevertheless, some terms
exhibited semantic changes, particularly narrowing and broadening, as adaptations to the
Japanese sociocultural context. Thus, the use of wasei-eigo not only reflects the influence of
English on Japanese public spaces but also demonstrates efforts to enhance the
comprehensibility of information and reduce potential ambiguity in international
communication

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Published

2026-11-07

How to Cite

Putri, F. S., & Yulianti, V. (2026). Wasei-eigo in Airport Linguistic Landscape: Functions and Meaning Shift Patterns in a Major International Airport in Japan. Proceeding of International Conference on Japanese Studies, Language and Education, 7(1), 126-141. Retrieved from https://proceedings.aspbji.id/index.php/icjsle/article/view/133

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026): Proceeding of International Conference on Japanese Studies, Language and Education (ICJSLE)

Section

Articles 
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            PKPTemplateManager.display(frontend/pages/article.tpl) % line  281, file: ArticleHandler.inc.php
         ArticleHandler.view(Array[1], Object:Request) % line  391, file: PKPRouter.inc.php
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   PKPPageRouter.route(Object:Request) % line  143, file: Dispatcher.inc.php
Dispatcher.dispatch(Object:Request) % line  279, file: PKPApplication.inc.php
PKPApplication.execute() % line   68, file: index.php

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            PKPTemplateManager.display(frontend/pages/article.tpl) % line  281, file: ArticleHandler.inc.php
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Dispatcher.dispatch(Object:Request) % line  279, file: PKPApplication.inc.php
PKPApplication.execute() % line   68, file: index.php

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                                                      SubmissionSearch._getMergedKeywordResults(Object:Journal, Array[4], , null, null, 500, 1) % line  194, file: SubmissionSearch.inc.php
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                                             SubmissionSearch._getMergedArray(Object:Journal, Array[1], null, null) % line  263, file: SubmissionSearch.inc.php
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            PKPTemplateManager.display(frontend/pages/article.tpl) % line  281, file: ArticleHandler.inc.php
         ArticleHandler.view(Array[1], Object:Request) % line  391, file: PKPRouter.inc.php
      PKPRouter._authorizeInitializeAndCallRequest(Array[2], Object:Request, Array[1], false) % line  231, file: PKPPageRouter.inc.php
   PKPPageRouter.route(Object:Request) % line  143, file: Dispatcher.inc.php
Dispatcher.dispatch(Object:Request) % line  279, file: PKPApplication.inc.php
PKPApplication.execute() % line   68, file: index.php