GRE Reading Comprehension

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Source: Magoosh reading easy

The culture that seems to make the most use of foreign languages as a part of business enterprise is Japanese. Here, a wide variety of foreign names is used, depending on the particular quality of the product the manufacturer wishes to stress. In the field of car names, for example, English is used in order to convey an impression of high quality and reliability. If elegance is to be stressed, a French name is chosen. A sports car often has an Italian name.

The linguistic effects are most noticeable in television commercials, where appropriate American, French, etc. settings are used along with the foreign language (without translation). Japan is the only monolingual country to make frequent use of foreign languages (primarily French and English) in its commercials. The viewer usually does not understand them, but the connotations of prestige associated with these languages are enough to warrant their use.

Question List: 1

Which of the following would provide the best justification for the existence of English in Japanese commercials, despite the fact that most Japanese do not understand English?

  • A To many Japanese, the mere voicing of an English word evokes a cosmopolitan splendor, thereby conferring sophistication onto whatever is being advertised.
  • B Often an American or British actor will be featured in a Japanese commercial.
  • C Some Japanese are unable to tell the difference between English that has a strong Japanese accent and English that is spoken by a native speaker.
  • D Japanese tend to associate French words with romance, even if they are completely unaware of the words being spoken
  • E Some products, when advertised in English, do not always sell as well as when they are advertised in Japanese.

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