Composition 2: 私の思いで。。。

私のおもいでは２００７年４月１０日です。そのせつ私は大学の４年生でした。大学を出る前に、大きいプロジェクトをしなければなりませんでした。そのプロジェクトは私の一番大きいプロジェクトでしたから、私はたくさんけんきゅうしました。たくさんりようを使いました。プロジェクトを一年ぐらいしました、４がつにおわりました。とてもたいへんでした！プロジェクトをだした時、プレゼンをしなければなりませんでした。先生が四人いました。私はとてもしんぱいしました。プレゼンがおわったから、せんせいは私にプレゼンについておっしゃてくれました。それから、しんぎ（審議）をしました。しんぎをしていったとき、私はきょうしつの外でまちました。十分ぐらいまたあと（後）、せんせいはきょうしつを出ました、それから、”おめでとうございます！”といいました。私はとてもうれしかったですから、あのひとときはわたしのおもいでです。

About communication...

Communication, I think, is the ability to make a point about an idea in an effective manner. Reciprocally, it is the ability to comprehend the discourse of others, and to generate continued dialogue.

What I hope to learn from this podcast project:
1.) How to convey information in comprehensible Japanese.
2.) How to use Japanese in new and creative ways that go beyond class-based practice.
3.) To have a chance to talk to other students of Japanese IN Japanese in order to understand their experiences and to discover how advanced we can potentially become.

私の好きな物。。。

おんがく：私のおんがくのテースト(musical tastes)はときどきをちかえますが (change)、いま私はよしだきょうだい(Yoshida Brothers)のおんがくが大好きです。

このビデオはよしだきょうだいのおんがくのしゅじゅ(variety)をおめにかけます。そして、よしだきょうだいのさんせんのおんがくはとてもモダンでおもしろいです。

アート：私は Joseph William Turnerのえが大好きです。Turnerはイギリス人です。1775から-1851までがいました。Turnerはたくさんえのぐ(colors)をつかりました。そして、ペインてイングはとてもきれくて、にぎやかくて、いみありげ(meaningful)です。Turnerのペインティングのなかで"The Slave Ship"が一番好きです。とてもげきてき(dramatic)ですから：

このペインテイングのメッセージはとてもたのしいです。ちょっとむずかしいですから、わたしは英語をかいてもいいですか。

This painting is an expression of Turner's feelings towards the Zong massacre that took place in 1781, in which the owner of a slave vessel, in order to cull the deaths of more "cargo" as well as crew by disease and over crowding, decided to throw a large portion of the slaves he was carrying overboard, allowing him to also collect on insurance. The stormy weather in the painting is a reference to a poem entitled "The Seasons" by James Thompson (a Scotsman), which describes another slave vessel being overtaken by a storm at sea.

Aside from the two allusions within the painting, the dramatic use of color as well as the flurried brushstrokes and dominating ocean-scape, with is rolling waves, and choppy waters serve to illustrate Turner's anguish over the state of human affairs during his time (he was an Abolitionist)(Turnerはどれいせい(slavery)が好きじゃありませんでした).

For me, this painting is sometimes illustrative of my own inner turmoils, though my struggles are not quite so dire as the ones Turner alludes to. Nevertheless, I have always been drawn to storm imagery, so this piece is especially beautiful in my eyes（私はストーム(storms)が好きですから、Turnerのアートはとてもおもしろくて、きれいです).

このペインテイングはいまボストンの美術館があります。私は何ども(many times)それを見ました。I first saw it when I was very young, and it was one of the first paintings in which I could fully understand that a message was being conveyed by the artist. It has stuck with me for many years because of this.

ありがとございます！

私の冬休み。。。

あけておめでとおねがいします！ことしもどうぞよろしくおねがいします！

あたらしいセメスタははじめています、とてもたいへんですね！私の冬休みはままよかたです(was pretty good)、フイノルペイパ (final papers)をしましたから。１２月２３日から１月２日まで、私はボストン(Boston) へいきました、そして私の家族とともたちとあいました、とてもたのしかったですがボストンはニューヨークよりさむかったです、そしてたくさんゆきがありました！私はボストンでたくさんレストランへいきました、そしてインドのレストランがいちばんすくかったです。

わたしは１月２日にニューヨークへバスでかえりました。そして、私はペイパを書きましたが私もともたちとニューヨークのレストランへいきました。

Composition 3

二十ねんごの私はゆめいな大学のプロフェシサーです。私は学生に中国のれいきしとこうがくをおしえます。そちて私はこうこがくのリサーチおします。私のうちはアメのリカのおおきいしにあります。私のかぞくはおっととこどもがいます。なつは私は中国と日本へいきます、そして私はこどもに中国語と日本語をおしえますから、こどもは中国語と日本語がわかります。私のせいかつはいぞがしですが、とてもたのしです！

Katakana Analysis Final

If you look at my previous blog post, you'll see that I have several different examples of katakana usage. However, I have come to understand that they are largely the same type of example in that most are examples of katakana being used to write loanwords (ie: "best seller," "brand," "bacon," etc...). However, I think that it might be useful here to talk about the different ways katakana is used for loanwords because there are some interesting subtleties in how they are employed that bespeak certain deliberate choices made by Japanese people when they write (particularly when they write for display).

1.) Use of katakana to write the word "best sellers:"

I think that in this instance, the katakana is being used for emphasis. Best sellers are a very Western conception, invented by book marketers and used to draw a book browser to make a purchase by telling them that "this is what everyone else is reading, so you should too!" I think that in this case, the use of the katakana is Japan's (or more specifically, Kinokuniya's) way of appropriating that same marketing ploy in order to attract Japanese buyers. After all, they could have said "best sellers" using hiragana or kanji or even English, but they chose not to. Instead, its kind of a way of importing Western marketing schemes. (This is all my speculation, however).

In addition, as some of my helpful commentators have pointed out, using katakana to write "best sellers" here can also be considered emphasis, almost as if they had put the phrase in italics. Another aspect to be pointed out is the presence of the English written underneath: why use both katakana as well as English to display the same things on this sign? One of the comments, Matt's I believe, suggested that this might have been used to draw in English-speakers or bilingual speakers as well so as to make it obvious to them that the books displayed might be currently popular reads in Japan. This brings up another interesting question about this display: is "best sellers" here pointing to Japanese best sellers (as in best selling books currently in Japan?)? Or American bestsellers written by Japanese authors? Something to ponder perhaps (sorry, this edit resulted in more questions than answers I'm afraid).

2.) Use of katakana in titles: I found two examples of this usage of katakana that I think are quite different.

a.

In this first example, katakana is used to write the title of this children's book. ”バルバル”has no English equivalent, and thus I don't think the katakana here can be considered a loanword. However, "バルバル" does make an interesting sound when read or spoken out loud, which would probably get a Japanese child interested in the book. It is also most likely a name (the name of the fellow on the cover), therefore katakana would be an appropriate way to write it in this case.

One of my comments points out also that while "バルバル-san" here is most likely the little boy's name, the sound aspect of the word would surely be a draw from children. In addition, she points out that katakana is one of the first alphabets that young children in Japan learn, thereby confirming that the usage of katakana here is meant to appeal to young readers on many different levels. Finally, she brings up some other examples of the usage of katakana as onomatopoeia that goes beyond "バルバル-san," such as the usage of katakana to express the sound of the butterfly's wings flapping.

b.

In this second example, katakana is being used to write the word "brand" in the title of the magazine Brand Joy. Again, I think the use of katakana here is a deliberate choice because they could have chosen to write the word in hiragana or in Kanji, but they chose to use the loanword form. Looking through the magazine, I noted that it was geared towards selling western merchandise from western companies, so that might be a reason behind this particular usage.

Also, as a final note, why is it that "brand" is in katakana, but "joy" is in English? It is quite possible that this mixing of English and katakana (as seen in the first example, with "best sellers") is another deliberate marketing ploy, geared towards expressing the international aspect of the magazine as well as the magazine's merchandise (according to virtualjapan.com, Brand Joy is a magazine specializing in the display and sale of Japan's most popular luxury merchandise brands, many of which are Western companies such as Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dior, etc....). In addition, one of the comments brings up a really interesting and important point that I did not originally consider, that of the usage of well-known English phrases that would appeal to Japanese audiences. According to the comment, "joy" is an English word that many Japanese people know, and thus it's appearance in the title of this magazine wouldn't necessarily keep Japanese buyers away, and would in fact be a possible draw.

Sources:

1.) Kinokuniya Bookstore, USA: http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/indexohb.cgi?AREA=03

2.) Virtual Japan: http://www.virtualjapan.com/wiki/Brand_Joy_Magazine

3.) Brand Joy Magazine: http://brandjoy.sv1.siteclutch.com/

たなかサウルス！

　





THE　END!

ーグレンダ