Banzai!

While staying in Australia for a home-stay programme, I remember my host father often expresses joy by saying “Banzai!” This was a bit of a surprise to me as a student. I knew there were Japanese words or phrases already familiar to, and used by, the native speakers of English, such as Suchi, Sumo, Manga, but I had not expected “banzai” along this line of thought.

According to the OED, “Banzai” means “1. a shout or cheer used by the Japanese in greeting the emperor or in battle,” first recorded in 1893. This reminds me of the original sense the word carried: It was a way of political and militaristic celebration. Now, there are many occasions when Banzai is used, for example, an election campaign, wherein people celebrate a winner of candidates by raising their hands and sharing Banzai shouting. It is a collective or social behavior celebrating success and achievement.

When my host father said “Banzai,” it was a personal expression of joy and nothing sort of ceremonial, so that it gave me a bit of confusion as well as amusement. But my host father was right to use “banzai” not simply because I am Japanese but also the word has already changed its connotation.

The OED shows that the political sense has already faded away, and people use it simply for expressing cheer, as in the "Banzai"'s second definition; “(as if) shouting ‘banzai’, uproarious, jollificatory. slang,” recorded from 1929.

Interestingly, “banzai” is also included in the category of “merriment” in the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary (HTOED). Starting from “blithe” (from the time of Old English) there are so many entries for the words of merriment in English, in which "Banzai" is the second recent entry.

I am interested in the way in which the original specific sense of the word has been changed or reduced into the general use.