Third-Person Person: Difference between revisions
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In Japanese media, young children and girls who are childish or [[The Cutie|cutesy]] may refer to themselves in this manner. In older characters, however, it may be a sign of [[Hollywood Psych|psychological issues]], such as a very traumatic event in their past. It also may be a sign of humility, so [[Samurai]] and noblewomen usually refer to themselves in the third person when talking to their lords. If a character ''transitions'' into a [[Third-Person Person]] over the course of the series, watch out for signs of [[Yandere]], and keep tabs on all [[Knife Nut|pointy]] [[Ax Crazy|objects]].<ref>Note also that in Japanese language there is no ''grammatical'' distinction between first, second and third person (the verb endings do not depend on person or singular/plural as in English), and the subject often gets omitted. The difference between first and third person is not so ''sharply'' obvious in original Japanese texts, therefore, as it is in the English ones where the subject ''always'' has to be mentioned. This can be a headache for the translators, and the translations are, consequently, often inconsistent.</ref> |
In Japanese media, young children and girls who are childish or [[The Cutie|cutesy]] may refer to themselves in this manner. In older characters, however, it may be a sign of [[Hollywood Psych|psychological issues]], such as a very traumatic event in their past. It also may be a sign of humility, so [[Samurai]] and noblewomen usually refer to themselves in the third person when talking to their lords. If a character ''transitions'' into a [[Third-Person Person]] over the course of the series, watch out for signs of [[Yandere]], and keep tabs on all [[Knife Nut|pointy]] [[Ax Crazy|objects]].<ref>Note also that in Japanese language there is no ''grammatical'' distinction between first, second and third person (the verb endings do not depend on person or singular/plural as in English), and the subject often gets omitted. The difference between first and third person is not so ''sharply'' obvious in original Japanese texts, therefore, as it is in the English ones where the subject ''always'' has to be mentioned. This can be a headache for the translators, and the translations are, consequently, often inconsistent.</ref> |
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On the other hand, a Western character who refers to himself in the third party will usually either be vain, egotistical, or self-absorbed—the implication being that he is so in awe of himself that even ''he'' views himself objectively—or a [[Hulk Speak]]ing primitive. Or, the character could be just a [[Cloudcuckoolander]] with a weird speech mannerism. An [[It's All About Me|egotistical villain]] will especially refer to himself in this fashion if he has a cool or impressive-sounding name or title. Sometimes a character with [[Acquired Situational Narcissism]] will temporarily become a |
On the other hand, a Western character who refers to himself in the third party will usually either be vain, egotistical, or self-absorbed—the implication being that he is so in awe of himself that even ''he'' views himself objectively—or a [[Hulk Speak]]ing primitive. Or, the character could be just a [[Cloudcuckoolander]] with a weird speech mannerism. An [[It's All About Me|egotistical villain]] will especially refer to himself in this fashion if he has a cool or impressive-sounding name or title. Sometimes a character with [[Acquired Situational Narcissism]] will temporarily become a [[Illeism|Third-Person Person]] as a sign of his suddenly expanded ego. Use of [[Japanese Pronouns]] may append a ''kono'' ("this") and/or ''[[Japanese Honorifics|-sama]]'' to the name for that added dose of egotism. Use ''both'' for the supreme ego. |
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The technical term for this is "[[wikipedia:Illeism|illeism]]", from the Latin word for "that" (sometimes also used like "he") with "-ism" attached. If the speaker does this for only for a story in which they are revealed as the central character, its [[And That Little Girl Was Me]] or [[Narrator All Along]]. |
The technical term for this is "[[wikipedia:Illeism|illeism]]", from the Latin word for "that" (sometimes also used like "he") with "-ism" attached. If the speaker does this for only for a story in which they are revealed as the central character, its [[And That Little Girl Was Me]] or [[Narrator All Along]]. |
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