Katakana Analysis: Final

Through this project, I have come to a new understanding of katakana as both a language and a cultural icon. To me, katakana is a way of relating to the rest of the world while still maintaining cultural identity. It is an alphabet that is uniquely Japanese, but if it were only used for foreign words, how “Japanese” could it really be? It would soon be phased out as an alphabet just as foreign as the foreign words it replaces. The complete integration of katakana into the Japanese language – through its many varied uses – demonstrates the complete “Japanese”-ness of katakana. Thus, while katakana was developed for the incorporation of foreign words into the Japanese vocabulary, it has, since then, taken an important role in Japanese language that is, essentially, irreplaceable.

On a bag of Haruya kani chips, the katakana expression “カニチップ “ is used. “カニ” is the Japanese equivalent for “crab”.  “チップ” reads as “chip”, an English loan word directly converted into katakana. According to various sources, katakana is often used on things such as signs or advertisements in order to place emphasis on a word or phrase – similar to the Western use of italics (“Katakana”). As emphasis, using katakana in this setting makes sense. The simpler, sharper strokes of katakana are much easier to pick out, and make more of an impression to the eye, than the more complicated kanji or rounded hiragana. Since katakana is also generally used for foreign words, the use of katakana here can also boost the company’s reputation among consumers by emphasizing its status as a product that is internationally traded. This, of course, makes it a more popular commodity as internationally traded products must be good in order to survive (so the consumer assumes), and this also takes advantage of the prestige of “Western” products. “Western” has this idea attached to it of success and authority, and “Western” things are more generally in demand in Japan than local products. Thus, a bag with Katakana – a “foreign” product – will sell better simply because of its associations with the Western world.

Another popular katakana expression is “カラオケ” or “karaoke”. It can be found on signs all over downtown Manhattan (for a more specific example, look to the sign for Duet 48, a karaoke bar in Midtown East, NYC). According to one source, “karaoke” is commonly written in katakana because it is a relatively new word whose kanji form has not yet been formed (Timmermeyer). This makes sense, because karaoke was only introduced around the 1980s (“karaoke”).  The word “karaoke” is actually a combination of the Japanese word “kara” meaning empty, and “oke”, a shortened form of the katakana for “orchestra” (“karaoke). Basically, it seems as though “karaoke” was created as a fad, and as it grew more popular, it took on the name meaning “empty orchestra” because it was the easiest way to describe or name it at the time. As of yet, it is written wholly in katakana because a proper kanji character has not yet been assigned to it. I also venture to guess that its worldwide appeal leads it to stick to katakana because of its foreign audience.

           A question was brought up about whether or not a kanji character would be assigned to “karaoke”. I think a better question to ask is whether or not the kanji would be used if it were ever assigned. “Karaoke” already has wide appeal; it’s recognizable and everyone, both Japanese people and those of foreign descent can easily read it with only a basic kana understanding of the Japanese language.

Textbook differences:

In class, we were given excerpts from four different textbooks explaining the different writing systems and their uses. They were all fairly short and very general in their descriptions of katakana in particular. They differed slightly in their presentation of the material, mostly due to the amount of lines devoted to katakana.

The shortest descriptions – the most minimal – made sure to mention that katakana employs more angular, simple characters generally used for foreign names and loan words. The more detailed descriptions also mentioned katakana usage for onomatopoeia and emphasis.

I think the short description was the most simplified definition of katakana, meant for the slower beginner language learners, as well as for those language learners who are only interested in learning a glimmer or overview of the language without going into the complexity of form and use. This short description introduces one use of katakana that can be easily understood, and leaves the more complex usages to be learned as the student advances in his/her language studies. This is comparable to my Japanese class where we learn one use of a hiragana particle at a time, instead of all its purposes at once. The longer descriptions that included onomatopoeia and emphasis usages were more geared towards the advanced language learner and those interested in the more street-common uses of words. These descriptions provide as much information as possible, yet in a general format, giving the sense that perhaps it is only meant to serve as a reminder for someone who has previously studied the language.

Sources:

            "Karaoke." Dictionary.com. < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/karaoke>

            "Katakana." n.d. Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakana>.

            Timmermeyer, Kyle. "Writing Japanese Katakana: Characters that Emphasize New and Foreign Words." 23 September 2008. suite101. 1 November 2010 <http://www.suite101.com/content/writing-japanese-katakana-a69894>.