かたかな Analysis Final

The three categories into which katakana is commonly categorized in usage are-

1. Loan words- These are words that are not of Japanese origin and have been adopted into the Japanese language such as テレビ and　コンピュタ.
2. Onomatopoeia- These are words that are used to evoke sounds such as モーモー (the sound a cow might make),　ニャニャ (the sound a cat might make), and　ワンワン (the sound a dog might make).
3. Emphasis- Finally, katakana is commonly used for emphasis to draw attention to a word or phrase. A common example of this is in brightly colored Japanese street signs in which the clearly written katakana are legible and easily emphasized.

Now, I will begin my analysis of the examples that I found particularly compelling.

When I went to m2m to look for some Japanese goods with katakana on their packaging, I found that nearly all of the labels on Japanese candy were written in katakana.




This was true of the popular Japanese candy　ハイチュウ, which translates to Hi-Chew in English. Although there were kanji, hiragana, and katakana used on the wrapper, the name of the product and the large descriptions were written in katakana. This is because Hi-Chew is a loan word that is adopted from English. Katakana is more legible and clearly written than kanji or hiragana, so it is logical that many companies employ this writing system on their packaging to draw attention to their products from far away. In this example, the katakana label on the candy can be read and identified from across a long distance. On the packaging of the peach candy that I purchased, I also noticed that other words, for which the Japanese equivalent does exist katakana was used. This was true for all of the flavors of the ハイチュウ, such as "peachy" (instead of もも, the Japanese word for peach) and アップル or "apple") (instead of りんご, the Japanese word for apple). I have interpreted this usage of foreign loan words over common national ones as a marketing device to emphasize the exotic nature and appeal of these candies. Furthermore, katakana is used as a marketing device to attract the attention of the younger generation, who would be purchasing candies such as ハイチュウ. The use of katakana appeals to the younger generation because the foreign nature of loan words may lead for them to be seen as fashionable and trendy for the younger generation.

Another interesting example of katakana usage that I found can be seen on the following website-
http://inspireme.lasoeurkaramazov.net/public/Posts_08_11/japanese_type_1/Japanese_sign_23.jpg

This image is of some buildings in Japan that all use bright, neon lighting to advertise various goods. It is logical that katakana is used in such an image because, as mentioned above, it is easily legible from a great distance and thus able to draw in the attention of the pedestrian. Furthermore, some of the words on this sign are loan words that are written in katakana, such as ビデオ (video) and　カラオケ (karaoke). The choice to write these words in katakana may be due to these concepts being "borrowed" from Western culture in the eyes of the Japanese creators of these advertisements or it may be to emphasize the Western nature and aforementioned "trendy" appeal of videos and karaoke. The usage of katakana appeals particularly to the youth, who are the most likely consumers of such products. Finally, it is interesting to note that the first half of カラオケ, カラ is a Japanese word meaning "sky" or "empty," while the second half オケ is a loan word meaning orchestra. The fusion of origins of these two words highlights the ambiguous nature of katakana usage.

In my exploration into the various uses of katakana, I have found that there is a certain level of ambiguity as to when an individual chooses to use katakana as opposed to hiragana or kangi. The usage of different alphabets in Japanese seems to be a blend of 'following the rules' and of self-expression. This is particularly evident in the case of the word "peachy" instead of モモ on the　ハイチュウ. For this reason, it is logical that there is a limit to the precision with which textbooks can categorize the nuances of all katakana usage. Textbooks are able to put katakana into general categories, but ultimately the usage of katakana may sometimes transcend these categories.

Sources:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/hichew/xphile66/hichew.jpg
http://inspireme.lasoeurkaramazov.net/public/Posts_08_11/japanese_type_1/Japanese_sign_23.jpg