Why #Syuwauta?

Linguistic Hijacking by Hearing Sign Language Users

Abstract

This paper draws attention to the current situation, "syuwauta" (sign language songs), which are created mainly by hearing sign language users on social media platforms. Most of them are not members of the Deaf community, and therefore they do not own that language. This a known as a Linguistic Hijack. In this paper, I exhibit why the use of #syuwauta is problematic in Japan. The original meaning of the word syuwauta has been identified as a semantic drift. The term syuwauta was exploited by hearing sign language users for their benefit. With a social justice and a ground-based framework, this paper explains the history of the word syuwauta and how the original meaning has been corrupted through the majority's two patterned behaviors; willful blindness and the misuse of the word.