まるこちゃんのうた！（とてもembarrassingです）

ビデオブログーランドムストリー

夏休み

夏休みは　すぐに　はじまります。日本語のじゅぎょうは　おわりました。とてもかなしいです。でも、来年も日本語をべんきょうするよていです。

http://www.dltk-kids.com/pokemon/adoptions/143.gif(~Bye, y'all!)

夏休みに、私はドイツに行って、インタンシップをするつもりです。そのあとで、かんこくにいきます。というのは、かんこくに music festival があります。いい先生がいますから、私はバイオリンをべんきょうするよていです。先生は日本からきました。なまえは　はらだ　こいちろ　です。それから、たいわんに行って、しんぞくとあいたいです。そのあとで、家にかえります。夏休みはとてもいそがしいけど、たのしいとおもいます。

Whispers of the Heart
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_6CDuae3kgol0exfuBus73-RMDbVwNtQEI35E40gchi791nd1GnnfYqg7UAfz2DSE4gBB7GMIXicJmiXw4lj28IJ8p_nTmvpbJUv4Y6pVQIYnMDhQZ3fHTiBS2mHTK0Dw9mECJSHdpiY/s1600/mimi4.png

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Katakana Literary Work

ピザのはこ

はやくゴミばこで

ダートなる。

http://www.ecosalon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pizza1.jpg

かわのうえ

フワフワアヒル：

プラスチック。

http://www.jrcompton.com/photos/The_Birds/J/Jan-08/J106346-sixpack-duck.jpg

http://www.sustainablebags.net/news_for_susbags/Sea-Plastic-LN-PG5oct05a.jpg

Katakana Literary Work - first attempts!

これは川柳の "attempts" (アテップス）！

ええ、私はクレイジー アボウトグリーン。。。

#1

ピザボックス

ごみばこに

どじょうになる。

#2

かわいいダック

かわでフローティング

プラスチック。

Katakana Analaysis

Our Nakama textbook, and others like it, tends to emphasize that katakana is used for the large number of loan words in the Japanese vocabulary, as well as for onomatopoeias in writing. I find it surprising that Japanese has integrated so many more foreign loanwords than a language such as Chinese. For example, the word “chicken” is written “チキン,” but according to an article by Masaoki Tsudzuki of Hiroshima University, there are many breeds of native chickens in Japan, some of which were introduced to Japan over two thousand years ago.

Why is chicken still written in katakana, while there is a native Chinese word for the fowl? We can hypothesize that the introduction of chicken FOR FOOD might have occurred many years later, and may be a foreign concept. Another is example is the word “earring,” which also does not seem much like a “modern” recently-imported concept. But why has Japanese adopted the western pronunciation - イヤリング - while Chinese has found a way to account for the meaning of “earring” with traditional words - “耳环” (literally ‘ear ring’)?

I wonder what in Japanese history or the Japanese way of thinking has made it so globalized and open to international influence? In Japan’s period of isolation, which ended in the mid-1800s, Japan sought to block out foreign influence. But during the Meiji restoration, there was an massive campaign to modernize in the form of westernization. In fact, Japan even hired foreign experts to train their armies and provide consultation for various government facets. Perhaps it is a result of this period in Japan’s history that so many foreign words came to be embraced, and the legacy of the Meiji restoration never quite disappeared.

While browsing through Japanese media, I ran across many stylistic uses of katakana. For example, フレンチガール, or “french girl” from the cover of fashion magazine “Pinky” is used stylistically. There is a Japanese word for “girl,” so why not use that instead? I think that this is a stylistic choice, depending upon the context of the katakana, in this case a fashion magazine. Japanese 102 classmate Joshua also suggested that emphasizing the foreignness is a way of marketing of fashion.

Also, some technical terms, such as species names and medical terminology are written in katakana. For example, when referring to the species of 人, one may use katakana ヒト. Many other scientific terms are also written in katakana. I think that the purpose of this is to set these names apart from other usages of the word, and also to make words more readable by the general public.

Many company/brand names are written in both katakana AND English, and I think that this is to make the brand more internationally marketable but still readable by the Japanese general public at the same time. For example, on the cover of fashion magazine “SPUR” is displayed the English titled in large pink letters. In smaller letters, one can see the katakana transliteration - ”シュプール.” (Japanese 102 classmate Monica also suggested that this could be a way of teaching Japanese readers the correct pronunciation of the English title.) Other examples are Toyota and Honda, and other well-known car manufacturers.

Perhaps this use of katakana in conjunction with English names may also explain why Japan is one of the world’s most modern, top economies.

One remaining question that I had is whether or not katakana can be overused. In an effort to become globally marketable, is it possible that some companies could lose the favor of native Japanese readers/consumers? There are inevitably some native Japanese people who fear that Japan is “losing” its language and traditions by becoming too international, so Japanese companies and producers must strategically grapple with this balance as foreign influence becomes increasingly more difficult to resist.