SHIFTING MEANINGS OF WASEI EIGO IN THE ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE SECTIONS OF THE YOMIURI SHINBUN NEWS SITE 2026 EDITION

Abstract

This study investigates the operational mechanisms and semantic shifts of Wasei Eigo (Japanese-made English) pseudo-loanwords within formal digital journalism, focusing on the Entertainment and Culture sections of Yomiuri Shinbun during the 2026 media cycle. Grounded in a qualitative descriptive approach and Wijana and Rohmadi’s (2011) semantic shift framework, the research examines how authoritative media gatekeepers employ semantic specialization and generalization to optimize information density and public communication. Data were collected over a ten-day observation period (February 24 - March 5, 2026) and subjected to multi-stage exclusionary filtering alongside dual-dictionary verification using Oxford Dictionaries and Kotobank. Findings reveal that formal news discourse predominantly utilizes semantic specialization (e.g., Konbi, Koorasu, Mukku, Kuria Fairu, Apuri, Sutoraiki) to eliminate polysemy, reduce reader cognitive processing load, and maximize descriptive conciseness. Conversely, semantic generalization (Bazuru) is selectively deployed to absorb online cultural phenomena into formal press channels. Rather than representing linguistic degradation or translation errors, Wasei Eigo operates as a sophisticated tool for deliberate linguistic domestication. Theoretically, this study advances frameworks of language sustainability, media discourse, and cross-cultural sociolinguistics by illustrating how elite press organs adapt foreign borrowings to reinforce local communicative efficiency while preserving native structural integrity. Pedagogically, mapping these semantic shifts offers practical value for Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) instruction, aiding L2 learners in navigating negative transfer and cognitive friction caused by semantic divergence from donor language roots.