Re: saladent?

Peter Moylan wrote:
On 11/03/08 06:52, John Kane wrote:
Peter Moylan wrote:

I got quite a surprise to discover "salaryman" in some English
dictionaries, because I had always assumed that it was a Japanese word.
Merriam-Webster Online seems to be claiming that it entered English from
Japanese in 1962. That's difficult to believe; I don't recall ever
hearing a native English speaker use the word, and my only sightings in
written material have been in articles by Japanese authors.

I have seen it in some English language writing but always referring to Japan. I think it is a word that exists in many native English speakers' passive vocabulary but it unlikely to be used actively except in reference to Japan.

I've done a bit more searching, and I've discovered that "salaryman"
does not refer to a white-collar worker in general. Instead, it refers
to a *Japanese* salaried employee who is being exploited because of his
status.

But that is surely the point. The majority of Japanese salaried employees are exploited. Those who come to us for a year or two's secondment rarely want to go home. Their wives (we've never had a married woman, as far as I am aware) and children are even keener to stay in the UK. Life is very regimented for the salaryman, and for his family who rarely see him during the week. It is, however, a feature of the exploitation that they must go home at the end of the secondment, even if they've gained the right to remain in the UK. The only alternative would be to resign and seek a new job, which is not natural for the salaryman, especially in a foreign country, and even though they have the enormous advantage of speaking native Japanese and fluent English.

In other words, it is a direct translation of the Japanese word
"sarariman", and it cannot refer to anyone who does not live in Japan.

I considered that obvious, and not because of my Japanese connections - is the word not recognised in general?

--
David
.

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