1. loan word, オーレド ボーイ、Old boy, manga (comic book)
The title of the comic book is written in katakana because its title is "old boy," an english word. Reading it in Katakana, the reader understands that the word is not Japanese. Reading characters used to for foreign words, he is primed to go into the fantasy of a world unfamiliar to his own.
2. brand name, ユニコロ, uniqlo, advertisement
-"Uniqlo is a Loan word made up by the company. It is a contraction of "unique clothing" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniqlo).
-"ユニコロ" is Aesthetically pleasing and simple. Every letter is square-like.
Uniqlo prides itself on its simple, high quality clothes. On the companies website, they describe themselves as "a new-style Japanese firm making good casual clothes available for all to wear....our reputation for high-quality, basic casual wear is growing steadily year by year"(Uniqlo website). The katakana characters, simple yet useful in terms of its catchy name, mimic the company's clothing style. Seeing this logo, consumers get an over all feel for the style of this company.
The textbooks may be sure to describe Katakana's proper use to maintain the integrity of its original usage, and the use of Hiragana and Kanji as is properly systematized by the language. Katakana is used so often in popular culture, even in the US to some extent, like with the UNIQLO signs, that people may mistake it for "Japanese." Teaching the language, the textbooks are sure to explicitly describe their proper purpose.
http://www.fastretailing.com/eng/ir/direction/message.html
I never knew ユニクロ meant "unique clothing"! I think a lot of Japanese words are a contraction of words, but because I hear it all the time, I never realize what words are contracted.
ReplyDeleteNice observation :)
Hello Tracy-san!
ReplyDeleteAs for the first example, I was wondering why the author chose the loanword 'オールドボーイ' as the title of the book rather than the Japanese translation or Romztized letters 'Old Boy'.
And for the company's name 'ユニクロ', I think it is not a loanword but a coinage term. Why do you think Katakata letters are used to express invented words? And why do you think Katakana is more useful and simpler than Hiragana?
Also, if words are written in Katakana, it feels like they are already a part of Japanese vocabulary even though they are originally imported from foreign language.
Do you think the use of Katakana promotes the process of nativization (adapting foreign concepts into one's culture and make them a part of its own culture)? If so, why?
If you find it difficult to analyze your words any deeper, try to find examples that you can do more research and go beyond the explanations given in the textbook:)
Good luck!
TA Miyamoto
Why do you think katakana is so often used in popular culture? Can you think of any other examples that might not belong to the categories that the textbook describes?
ReplyDelete