Based on my limited knowledge of Japanese, I would have to say that the majority of Kanakana I've come across are loan words. They are almost everywhere, especially on food packages and logos (the two major category I'm interested in). Here are the two examples I picked:
ミルクソフトキャンデー "Milk Soft Candy" & ホームページ "Homepage" - both are found on packages for food.
I'm actually having a hard time to conclude why there are so many loan words in Japanese. I guess the most obvious reason is simplicity - why go through so much trouble to invent new words while we can just simply "translate" the sound into our own?
I was really amazed when Sato sensei told us in class that there are no set rules when using Hiragana and Katakana in Japanese. My first reaction was - wouldn't that be too chaotic? So people can just write however they feel like? For an outsider, it is a little hard to imagine how it is done. But I'm sure as time goes on and my Japanese knowledge is expanding, this will become clear to me eventually. =)
As for now, for the purpose of this homework assignment, my analysis is that loan words are slowly adapted into Japanese vocabularies because it was easier than inventing more words. Of course, such claim definitely needs an expert to confirm...
...to document my Japanese learning experience...to see how much I've grown...to share my view of the world IN JAPANESE...
8 comments:
Hi, I'm in the 4th year of Japanese at the University of Notre Dame and our assignment is to comment on Columbia's 1st year Japanese Katakana Analysis Draft so that's what I'm doing :)
You're right - the most obvious and easiest function of katakana in Japanese is loan words (words from foreign languages, not just English, though most do come from English). But I think it's not so much about them not wanting to invent more words (because, believe it or not, there are actually Japanese words for everything, even "homepage" and the likes), but because these katakana words are widely understood & used and it's easier to convey. I mean, would you agree that it is easier to read and write and say something in katakana than it is to read, write and say using kanji?
For example: technology
テクノロジー
技術（ぎじゅつ）
Which one is easier to read, write and say? The one in Katakana, right? And it's not like there's not a word for "technology" in Japanese/kanji - there is (gijutsu).
That's my personal take on it. What do you think?
こんばんわ！
I agree that it is easier to read the katakana because, for me, seeing katakana immediately tells me that the word I am about to read might be a term that I am familiar with (and once I sound the word out, I'm usually right). In this way, because as a first year student, we are reading only in hiragana and katakana, it breaks up the seemingly endless lines of hiragana characters that otherwise are not very well punctuated. You know what I mean? Seeing katakana helps me keep track of where I am in a paragraph. Kanji (once we start reading with it) does the same thing, though the two forms of writing have different uses for native speakers.
I don't know if this really helps in analyzing katakana usage, but it's my two cents on how I have been using it in my learning.
- Glenda (Columbia 1st year Japanese)
It's weird. I feel like the first person has it right; it makes Japanese more accessible to people like us that are new to the language.
I thought it was pretty wild that there aren't rules for katakana and hiragana use, too. At first I thought, "Ah can't it just all be written in hiragana and katakana. It'd be easier!" But really it wouldn't be easier, even now reading paragraphs in all hiragana can be tricky since there's no kanji or spaces between words for that matter.
Sato Sensei got me really interested in Murakami's writing style. How about you? I can't wait to read him in Japanese.
Here is another thought for you -
did you know that katakana is often used for sound effects or for repetitious words? For instance, "do-n!" or "dokidoki" are common sound effects in manga, usually written in katakana. Perapera (fluent speech) is a word often written in katakana.
One thing that I have studied is that katakana words have a more modern feel to them. Kanji words can seem old-fashioned, scholarly, and not very 'trendy' - the words you'd use in a homework assignment but not when talking with friends.
It is true that katakana is used the most for foreign words . But the uses of katakana are much more diverse and complicated. That's why we sometimes see words that are not foreign words but still written in katakana. You can consider onomatopoeic, emphatic effects. Sometimes katakana is used for newly born Japanese words too.
Ganbatte ne!
-G
I agree, katakana, in my opinion, is much easier to read simply because of the way it is written and it's more angular stroke pattern. But like Giang said it's a little more complicated than that! I think a lot of the reason why katakana is used is just convention (is that the right word?). It seems a little more attractive to the eye I guess :P
Definitely agree with what everyone is saying in regard to simplicity in use. I just like that I can finally read the onomatopoeia now in anime/manga :)
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