Katakana Literary Work (Final)

夜の中

バトンを出たくる

子猫です

よるのなか

バトンをでたくる

こねこです

In the middle of the night

A “BANG!”out of nowhere

It is a small kitten

秋の風

人生は何か

イチ葉ね

あきのかぜ

じんせいはなにか

イチようね

Fall wind

What is life?

It is but a single leaf

オンガクドウ

企鵝と海豹

パチパチだ

オンガクドウ

きがとあざらし

パチパチだ

Concert hall

Penguins and seals

Went “clap clap”

In the first poem, I use katakana to express an onomatopoeia of a loud, abrupt, and startling sound. バトン is used to represent a "BANG!" It shows how startling the sound would be in the middle of the dark/night, and how it would scare someone wondering around in the dark. This is ironic because the origin of the sound is not scary, but is actually caused by a small kitten.

In the second poem, I use katakana for emphasis. It emphasizes the number one, and portrays the frailty and fleetingness of life. It also helps emphasize how small and short a life is also.

In the third poem, katakana again expresses an onomatopoeia, but this time a clapping sound.  I also use オンガクドウ　instead of 音楽堂 to emphasize that the concert hall is more metaphorical than actual. I am making a strange metaphor about the concert hall, so I use a less formal version of the word by writing it in katakana instead of kanji. It also functions like a verb in a way, because it shows that the audience and seals clap. I make a metaphor of the people in the concert hall with penguin do to the suits they are wearing and seals do to the clapping that they do in unison at the end of a song.

Blog #2

今、一番欲しい物は新パソコンです。毎日に六回超過パソコンを使います。そして、パソコン私には凄く大切な物です。パソコンで宿題も遊びもします。パソコンがありませんければ、それは困るです。四年前、父は私のパソコン壊れてしました、そして一ヶ月ぐらい自分のパソコンがありませんでした。毎日しましの物出来ませんでした、自分のパソコンがありませんでしたから。あの時、電気屋さんへ新パソコンを買いに行きたいしました。スピードが高いパソコンが一番好きです。でも、今新パソコンを買いません、金がありませんですから。

Katakana Literary Work (Draft)

夜の中

ドーンを聞くだた

子猫です

よるのなか

ドーンをきくだた

こねこです

In the middle of the night

I hear a “BANG!”

It is a small kitten

秋の風

人生は何か

イチ葉ね

あきのかぜ

じんせいはなにか

イチようね

Fall wind

What is life?

It is but a single leaf

音楽堂

企鵝と海豹

パチパチだ

おんがくどう

きがとあざらし

パチパチだ

Concert hall

Penguins and seals

Went “clap clap”

In the first poem, I use katakana to express an onomatopoeia of a loud, abrupt, and startling sound. ドーン is used to represent a "BANG!" It shows how startling the sound would be in the middle of the dark/night, and how it would scare someone wondering around in the dark. This is ironic because the origin of the sound is not scary, but is actually caused by a small kitten.

In the second poem, I use katakana for emphasis. It emphasizes the number one, and portrays the frailty and fleetingness of life. It also helps emphasize how small and short a life is also.

In the third poem, katakana again expresses an onomatopoeia, but this time a clapping sound.  It also functions like a verb in a way, because it shows that the audience and seals clap.

Katakana Analysis (Final)

My first sample is from the manga Devil Survivor (デ ビルサバイバー). The text is written in katakana because it is not an actual word, but an onomatopoeia. The dots on the ア most likely indicate a growling or gurgled sound, instead of the clear sound saying ア would usually have. This character is not exactly in a textbook, but the ア itself would be explained by a textbook as an onomatopoeia. 「ア"」 is not itself a character, so it is not in a textbook, but it is used by this author because he wanted to convey the way in which it was said also, and to give the text an implied feeling.

My second sample is a knife purchased from Muji. This label is most likely written in katakana instead of the kanji for knife to indicate that it is a Western style knife, instead of a more traditional Japanese knife. The use of knives to eat food in Japan is a more recent occurrence, and was not done traditionally. In textbooks, this use of katakana would likely fall under the category of foreign loan words or name of a tool. It is probably somewhere in between because 刀 is not an accurate description of this knife, so it is a tool that does not have kanji or hiragana that accurately describe it, and knife is a foreign word, making 「ナイフ」a translation of a foreign loan word. Also, this makes even more sense because other types of knifes have different words for them, as I have discovered from comments made on my draft. 包丁　is for cooking knives、刀 is for katana/ blades for fighting and killing，軍刀 is for military swords、and 小刀 is for short swords/ small knives. Different types of knives have different words for them, and ナイフ is generally used for the knives that people eat with. You can tell what kind of knife is being talked about by which character(s) is/are used.

My last sample is from a box of Matcha Cream Pocky. It includes both the use of グリコ and　ポッキー. Both the company and product names being written in katakana is probably due to personal choice of the company. I also found that Pocky is named after the Japanese onomatopoeia ポッキン, which is the sound Pocky makes when it is bitten. Also, Mami, who commented on my previous blog post said that it may be in katakana because of the extended syllable at the end with the 「－」, which you can only use in katakana, not in hiragana. This also changes the way the name is pronounced, so that there is a more of a "-y" sound at the end, instead of an "-i" sound. Also, Sachiko, who commented on my draft, said the 「－」 could make the name sound more friendly. This may cause a person to associate positive feelings with the name and it may also make the name sound more fun. The textbook would probably also describe this as personal choice by the company.

Katakana Analysis Draft

My first sample is from the manga Devil Survivor (デビルサバイバー). The text is written in katakana because it is not an actual word, but an onomatopoeia. The dots on the ア most likely indicate a growling or gurgled sound, instead of the clear sound saying ア would usually have. This character is not exactly in a textbook, but the ア itself would be explained by a textbook as an onomatopoeia. 「ア"」is not itself a character, so it is not in a textbook, but it is used by this author because he wanted to convey the way in which it was said also, and to give the text an implied feeling.

My second sample is a knife purchased from Muji. This label is most likely written in katakana instead of the kanji for knife to indicate that it is a Western style knife, instead of a more traditional Japanese knife. The use of knives to eat food in Japan is a more recent occurrence, and was not done traditionally. In textbooks, this use of katakana would likely fall under the category of foreign loan words or name of a tool. It is probably somewhere in between because 刀 is not an accurate description of this knife, so it is a tool that does not have kanji or hiragana that accurately describe it, and knife is a foreign word, making 「ナイフ」a translation of a foreign loan word.

My last sample is from a box of Matcha Cream Pocky. It includes both the use of グリコ and　ポッキー. Both the company and product names being written in katakana is probably due to personal choice of the company. I also found that Pocky is named after the Japanese onomatopoeia ポッキン, which is the sound Pocky makes when it is bitten. Also, Mami, who commented on my previous blog post said that it may be in katakana because of the extended syllable at the end with the 「－」, which you can only use in katakana, not in hiragana. The textbook would probably also describe this as personal choice by the company.

Katakana Samples

ア"：Why are there dots on theア？(Is it supposed to be a muffled or growling sound? How is this pronounced?)

ナイフ：Western-style object? (Why not use the kanji for knife instead? Is it because this is a Western style knife?)

グリコとポッキー：personal choice? (Why not use hiragana for the company and brand name? Is it because the name sounds more Western than Japanese?)

私の名前はアーロンチアニーです。私はカルフォルニアから来ました。私は英語や中国語が出来ます。あの二つの語よくわかります。剣道やなぎなた先生達と一緒に話すのため、日本語勉強します。剣道となぎなたは幾コンセプト英語で説明は難しいがあるもから、日本語勉強します。剣道となぎなたとても好きです、でも別のスポーツあまり好きじゃありません。一番好きな音楽はロックです。今年の冬休み、私となぎなた先輩も別の友達も一緒に日本に行きます。私達はなぎなたと剣道練習のため行きます。日本に行きます楽しみにしている！

I am a Junior studying Neuroscience and pre-Med. I am from Moutain View, California. I want to learn Japanese because I hope to be able to communicate between with my Kendo sensei and other Naginata sensei beside my own. I am planning to visit Japan this January with some of my friends in order to practice Kendo and Naginata, and hope to use the things I learn in this class to navigate and interact with others when I am in Japan this winter.