Body-con

[Benjamin Barrett]

What is the name for words like this? Reimport? Double borrowing?

Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

On Apr 25, 2012, at 7:38 AM, Douglas G. Wilson wrote:

> I saw in a shop window at the local mall recently "Body Con Dresses".
>
> Previously I'd read/heard this only in a Japanese context (e.g., in
> William Gibson's _Pattern Recognition_ [2005 I think]).
>
> Google shows many many instances, and dictionary.com shows:
>
> ----------
>
> <<
>
> World English Dictionary
> body-con
>
> ˜ n
> a. a style of skintight clothing that emphasizes the contours of the body
> b. ( as modifier ): a body-con skirt
>
> [C21: shortened from body-conscious ]
>
> Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
> 2009 ....
>
>>>
>
> ----------
>
> I suppose this is "wasei eigo" (made-in-Japan English) which has
> penetrated the Anglosphere, along with "cosplay" and I'm sure several
> other well-known items (and many recondite ones in manga-fan circles
> etc.), maybe half of "karaoke" too.
>
> The etymology given above may give away the Japanese origin (or am I
> imagining things?): "body conscious" somehow doesn't seem to me a fully
> natural term for a tight dress in Anglosphere English, and the use of
> "con" as an abbreviation for "conscious" seems strange in Anglosphere
> English (as do [e.g.] "cos" for "costume" and "orché" for "orchestra").
>
> There are (I guess) thousands of "wasei eigo" terms like this: if they
> stay in Japan and are only spoken/written in Japanese, I guess I'd say
> they are Japanese 'words', even if written in katakana.
>
> Of course there are comparable faux-English words in other languages but
> I think maybe Japanese is particularly friendly to them.
>
> This list shows some "wasei eigo" and some other stuff:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gairaigo_and_wasei-eigo_terms

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