Contrastive of Kinship Terms in Japanese and Arabic: Sociolinguistic Perspective

Abstract

^{This study examined the differences in kinship terminology between Japanese and Arabic from a sociolinguistic perspective. The analysis revealed that Japanese kinship terms are influenced by the内・外 “uchi–soto” (in–out) concept. For example, Japanese distinguishes between oji (叔父), one’s own uncle, and ojisan (おじさん), another person’s uncle. Conversely, Arabic kinship terminology reflects lineage-based differentiation, emphasizing نصب ”nasab” (genealogy) and the strength of blood relations. This can be seen in the clear distinction between عم (ʿamm), meaning paternal uncle, and جال (khāl), meaning maternal uncle. The findings contribute to the understanding of how sociolinguistic structures shape kinship terminology across different linguistic systems. This research expands the contrastive study of Japanese and Arabic by linking linguistic forms to social orientation, group harmony in Japanese and genealogical hierarchy in Arabic. It also highlights the intersection of language, culture, and social behavior as a fundamental area in sociolinguistic inquiry. Future studies could explore kinship terminology in other languages with distinct social frameworks to deepen the cross-cultural contrastive analysis.}