What the heck is the "Incursion of English on Japanese"?

I intend to explore in this blog the many ways that English and crept into and changed the Japanese language. Yes, "changed." It will never be the same! Some of the entries will be pretty academic in nature, while others will be chatty or even "off the wall."

The Japanese language has been like a sponge. It has soaked up not only words from English (as well as other languages) but even other aspects that are more pervious to change. We will look at how English has had an impact on pronunciation and even on the phonemic system of the language. We will look at the impact English has had on the writing system itself and how English is well on its way to becoming a "second" rather than a "foreign" language in Japan.

Things didn't necessarily have to turn out the way they have. Other countries, such as Korea and China are also receiving a healthy dose of English. Does that mean that it is or will have an equal effect? Probably not. I hope that some readers of this blog, who are more knowledgable in Korean and Chinese than I am will be able to point out how these languages have diverged from Japanese in their acceptance of English elements into their language.