PUNS AS A FORM OF LANGUAGE GAME: MECHANISMS OF CREATION AND FUNCTIONING IN THE COMMUNICATIVE DISCOURSE OF JAPANESE MANGA

Abstract

This article introduces the phenomenon of the Japanese pun 駄洒落 (dajjare) as one of the most productive forms of wordplay in contemporary Japanese verbal-visual discourse, particularly within the genre of comedic manga. The theoretical framework is based on the concepts of L. Wittgenstein and J. Huizinga regarding the ludic nature of language and culture, as well as contemporary linguistic approaches to the analysis of wordplay (K. Araki, D. Delabastita, N. Matsui, R. Meijer, L. Stavytska, A. Shcherbyna, among others). The study defines the place of puns within the Japanese tradition of wordplay (言葉遊び, kotoba asobi), distinguishes key terms, describes the specificity of dajjare in comparison with other types of puns, and applies the notion of “mechanism of creation” as a set of linguistic and graphic operations that generate a humorous effect. The research material comprises excerpts from the manga 「ヒプノシス マイク-Division Rap Battle- side D.H & B.A.T」, notable for its intensive use of puns in characters’ dialogue. The methodological basis integrates a comprehensive linguistic analysis employing descriptive, contrastive, structural-semantic, and pragmatic methods. Selected examples are classified according to structural-phonetic, morphological, and semantic criteria; the study identifies the main dajjare creation techniques, including homonymy, morphemic overlap, mora addition/reduction, metathesis, language mixing, and graphic play. It is established that dajjare in manga perform a multifunctional role: they generate humor, emphasize characters’ individual traits, facilitate creative self-presentation, and create a distinctive interactive communicative atmosphere. The humorous effect emerges from the interplay of three levels: phonetic, semantic, and graphic. The use of katakana for foreign or onomatopoeic components serves as a visual highlighting device, enhancing the pragmatic impact of the pun. Special attention is given to translation studies aspects: rendering such wordplay into Ukrainian requires adaptive strategies that compensate for the impossibility of preserving formal identity by creating semantic or pragmatic equivalents.