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The Womë-no poem of Harima Fudoki and residual orality in ancient Japan1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

Edwina Palmer
Edwina Palmer
Affiliation:
University of Canterbury, New Zealand
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Extract

In modern English the pun as a form of word-play tends to be associated with wit and humour. It has long been recognized that Japanese literature of various genres abounds in the punning type of word-play, although it is not necessarily humorous. A typical example would be matsu ‘pine tree’ and matsu ‘to wait’, often neatly translated into English as ‘pine’ in both senses. This pun is so frequent in classical Japanese literature that the mere mention of a pine tree can connote yearning for or missing a loved one without further overt reference. The pun thus even creates a metonym.

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Articles
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Bulletin of SOAS , Volume 63 , Issue 1 , January 2000 , pp. 81 - 89
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 2000

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