Why not English????

[Don Roley]

Minor rant time.

For the last few years I have been amazed at the number of new arts that pop up using Asian names started by guys who have no knowledge of any Asian language.

Before people accuse me of being against Asian countries or their languages, I should point out that I live in Japan and speak the language at the highest level the goverment tests for. So I obviously don't have anything against Asian languages, but I still have to ask why the heck people don't use English when naming their styles.

What is wrong with English? I think it is a very fine language. Difficult to learn, true. But so many people in the world can speak it. I can even point to a guy in the Japanese martial arts magazines who has named his combative style "PDS" (Personal Defense System) despite being Japanese.

So we have guys in Asia creating arts and using English, while there are people who can speak English but not Japanese using Japanese terms.

I think I should point out that I can think of at least three styles with Asian names that I am familiar with and respect. There is no doubt in my mind that they are good styles, I just don't understand why they don't use English. Well, one style I helped name as a joke for the founder. (Dango Jiro Karate- "Leftover Stew Karate" a case where a guy with JKD- style experience married a hard karate stylist and started teaching little tricks in her studio and they wanted some sort of a joke to call what they did.)

I don't even understand why some people insist on using Japanese terms for what they do. Instead of using the term "grappling", they use the term Chi Na, even if they have not studied a form of Chi Na. Hey, it is all grappling, right? Then why not use English? I know some terms like Kenpo, karate, kung fu and jujutus are common enough to be possibly used as English, but Chi Na, kenjutsu, ninjutsu, pa kua, etc?

Heck, what the heck did Ed Parker call his system when he started it? Ed Parker's Kenpo!!!! Not Parker-shiki kenpo, not Parker-ryu kenpo, not Jun Hop Sun Kenpo! Ed Parker's Kenpo!

Sorry to rant like this, but I wanted to throw it out and see if maybe someone has an aspect about it I have not seen.

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by Don Roley
...Sorry to rant like this, but I wanted to throw it out and see if maybe someone has an aspect about it I have not seen.
I think the reason they do it is the obvious one we comment on all the time in the Bad Budo forum; to give their arts a mystique, or a false image of authenticity as an "Ancient and Mystic Oriental Art with Inscrutable Origins Lost in the Mists of Time."

You know -- the mists from the swampest places. ;)

[Jody Holeton]

Hey Don,

It's for the same reason why Japanese/Korean/Chinese clubs use so much English: it sounds cool.

Why is shoot fighting/vale tudo and Gracie Jujutsu so popular in Japan?
Why is soccer so popular in Japan and Korea now?

'cause it looks cool and is percieved as cool.

Like the whole blackbelt mystique in America.

They handout blackbelts (and titles) like you wouldn't believe in Japan.

It's all about image Don.

BTW English is easy to learn. It's being an ACTIVE student that is hard.

[Shitoryu Dude]

I see schools using English all the time, usually something like "Black Belt Academy", "School of Martial Arts", "Joe's Karate Studio", or something along that line. I do get peeved when I see people make up Japanese words for their style, much as I would if somebody started making up English sounding words.

:beer:

[Richard Price]

Should I ever open a school, teaching my own style...which would be a functional mix of all the best bits of "other stuff" I have learned. I will advertise as what I have just said and call it "Rich's Fightings School". Like Ronseal...it does exactly what it says on the tin. Oh, and there won't be any belts either, or stripes, or badges, or even uniforms. There will be cups of tea though.

Likelihood is slim however...as I don't think I know enough.

[Richard Price]

Originally posted by Shitoryu Dude
I I do get peeved when I see people make up Japanese words for their style, much as I would if somebody started making up English sounding words.

:beer:

I do that all the time, why only the other day I made up the word trumblone...I think I was trying to say trumpet, got confused with trombone and hey presto a new word was born!! I was drunk though, so I don't know if it counts....made everyone in the pub laugh though. :D :toast:

[Nyuck3X]

It's all about marketing.

If you want to teach hard core in your face
tactical fighting, you name it something agressive like
"The Rock's reality fighting."

If you want to tap into the endless supply of little
kids, you name it "Joe's family karate".

If you want the traditional crowd you use something
that sounds Japanese, "ShorinKan Shorin-ryu".
(No slight to the Shorin folks of which I am a member of.)

Sports crowd, "Glen's Tournement Academy".

It's all about presentation and establishing an identity.
You are identifying yourself with your target group.

I never cared for Japan"esque" names created for organizations
that clearly have no tie to Okinawan or Japanese associations.

Peace

[Tripitaka of AA]

As pointed out in the opening post, the Japanese are not immune to the same temptation to name things in a "wannabe" fashion. It could be said that Shorinji Kempo has a litle of this. The founder (SO Doshin, known as Kaiso), lived and studied in China for many years. When he returned to Japan after the war, he wanted to teach philosophy to the youth. He ended up teaching it alongside his system of techniques and he named it after the Shaolin temple as he wanted to follow the historic example of mental and physical training that first originated at the Shaolin Temple. Shorinji = Shaolin Temple, Kempo = fist method. He took a name that described what he was doing, in the way that has been mentioned before, trying to encapsulate in a few words the idea behind the training. Japanese spelling of Chinese words, sounding a bit foreign, a bit special, a bit different from the Suzuki Dojo up the road (Suzuki, like Patel or Smith, one of the most common names around) ...


I particularly like the mixed language names that turn up. "Mike's Shaolin Judo Kwoon", "Sakura Szechuan Fist of Tae Kwon Do", "Fundoshi Ninja gwai-lo Kung Fu". :)

I suppose that naming an Art after the parent language has its merits. Calling my fantasy art "Dave's shadow-boxing exercise class" might not prepare a "customer" for a class filled with Japanese terminology and people running up and down in white dogi.