Composition 3

二じゅねんごの　わたしは　モンタナに　います。こどもが　さんにん　います。　おとこのこ　が　ふたり　と　おんなのこ　が　ひとり　います。　おおきい　うちに　すみます。　うちが　山のちかく　に　あります。　スキーを　しますから　山の　ちかくに　すみます。　なつに　ゆき　が　ありません　から　スキー　を　しません。　なつ　に　さかな　つり　を　します。　うち　の　そと　に　川　が　あります。なつに　まいあさ　さかなつり　を　します。　わたしが　レストラン　で　はたらきます。　よる　だけ　はたらきます、　だから　まいにち　こども　と　あそびます。　せいかつ　が　とても　たのしい　です。

literary project final

ねこのうた
なつのコンサート
クロイふゆ

translation:

a cats song

summers concert

black winter

I have a backyard with lots of alley cats, that you hear all summer long, but not in the winter when it is cold.  So this poem is about the life and lively-ness of summer in new york compared to how dark and dreary the winter can be. 

2 usages of katakana. One is a loanword, and the other to emphasize a dark quiet winter.

うえからあめ
きいろいとあかい
はのダンス

translation:

rain from above

yellow and red

dance of leaves.

I love walking under fall leaves as the fall.  This poem is about watching the yellow and red leaves gracefully fall.  

One loanword usage of katakana.

とりのうち
ピンクとあかいさくら
ちいさいピヨピヨ

translation:

a birds house

pink and red sakura

a small "chirp chirp"

Every spring I go look at cherry blossoms with my mother, and used to with my grandmother before she passed away.  I always used to think that if birds nest in those trees, they have would pretty flowers to look at.  This poem is about new life of spring. Not only of the flowers, but of animals, specifically baby birds that quietly chirp. My mother corrected me that sakura are never red, but I kept that in there anyway because there are other types of flowering trees that do have red blossoms. 

2 usages of katakana. One is a loan word, and the other is onomatopoeia.

thanksgiving

タンクスギヴィング に　ニユーヨーク　に　いました。　わたし　の　かぞく　が　ニユーヨーク　に　いますから。家族に５人います。あねがひとりえまう。そしてあにもひとり　います。　わたしの　あに　が　タンクスギヴィングのごはん　を　すくりました。　かぞく　の　なか　に　あに　が　いちばん　りょうり　が　じょうずです。あにがターキとスタフィングをすくりました。　でも、わたしがマシュトポタトを　すくりました。ごはんがとてもおおいしでした。みんながたのしいでした。

Katakana Analysis Final

Katakana Project

The Ainu （アイヌ）are a group of people who live in Northern Japan.  They are thought to be indigenous to Japan, and have their own language and culture.  The population of the Ainu has declined, but there are still people who identify themselves as Ainu living in Japan.  They write entirely in katakana.  This could be because perhaps they did not have a writing system before the Japanese came to Japan, and after the Japanese derived their hiragana and katakana, the Ainu adopted part of their writing system as well.  In this case, the Ainu usage of katakana fits the concept of writing foreign words in katakana. Their language/culture is different from Japanese so they while the words aren't foreign to them, they are foreign to the Japanese language.  Therefore, instead of adopting both hiragana and katakana, they only adopted katakana. Perhaps,  over the years when the Ainu regions were taken over by more japanese, the japanese started writing ainu words in katakana because they were foreign words, and from there after, the language was written in katakana.   

On a suntory energy drink called "dakara," in katakana is written フレッシュなスタート.  Or, "Fresh Start."  There is a way to say "fresh start" in japanese, but for some reason, the marketing company decided to write fresh start in katakana instead.  While the usage of this katakana falls under the "loan words" category, there is something behind the fact that they decided to use loan words in this particular instance.  It is likely to make the product look "cool." Many japanese have embraced western culture and by having foreign words on a bottle or in an ad, it will appeal to those who like western culture.  

The text books describe katakana very simply.  Two state that katakana is used for writing loanwords and foreign names.  Another one says it is used mainly for words borrowed from other languages, and for sounds.  The last description also states that it is for loanwords, onomatopoeic words, and words the writer wishes to emphasize.  This last description is the most accurate, for the other ones did not say that they can also be used for emphasis, and only one other mentioned onomatopoeia.  These are probably introductory japanese text books that are outlining the most basic usages of katakana, thus they only mention the most common usage of katakana, which is for foreign words.  It seems that perhaps katakana was initially only used for foreign/loan words, and then as Japanese culture became more in touch with western culture, they adopted more foreign words to the point where people started replacing japanese words with foreign words in an effort to sound more sophisticated or "cool." Thus in many advertisements you see foreign words written in katakana, even though they have japanese words.  A writer may use katakana to write a japanese word for emphasis.  If a word that is normally written in hiragana or kanji is changed to katakana, then this will draw the attention of the reader to the word, enhancing the meaning of the word.  In both advertisements and emphasis, katakana thus is used to call attention to the viewer/reader.  In all usages, foreign words, sounds, emphasis, it is used to convey something that could not be conveyed by other Japanese scripts.  

Katakana was initially invented by buddhist monks as a short hand for various chinese characters, and hiragana, katakana, and kanji were all three used independently into the 1800's.  After the Meiji restoration, the government modernized the system into what is used today.  Therefore, it seems that katakana was not initially invented only for loan words, but adapted to that role.  Now that it does serve that function, it seems natural that in order to draw a readers attention to a word, the writer only need write it in katakana.  If the writer writes a word in katakana that would normally be written in kanji or in hiragana, the reader would stop and ask, "why is this in katakana?" and thus will spend more time on the word.  

The text books could spend more time on the history of katakana and how it evolved into what it is today.  It would be interesting to know why Japanese feel a necessity to separate loan words and japanese words.  And more could be said in the text books about how katakana can be used for emphasis, and why it is used in that way.  

haiku

ねこのうた
なつのコンサート
クロイふゆ


うえからあめ
きいろいとあかい
はのダンス


とりのうち
ピンクとあかいさくら
ちいさいピヨピヨ

Tthe first has 2 usages of katakana. One is a loanword, and the other to emphasize a dark quiet winter.

The second has one katakana loan word.

The third has 2 usages of katakana. One is a loan word, and the other is onomatopoeia. 

てがみ

やまださんへ、
わたしのなまえはオールトみおです。ニユーヨークのコロンビアだいがくのがくせいです。　がくせいのせいかつはいそがしですが、おもしろいです。　げつようびからもくようびまでだいがつへいきます。　ちかてつでいきます。ちかてつはとてもべんりです。コロンビアだいがくのキアンパス　はちさいですが、すきいです。　そひて、せんせいはとてもしんせつです。　６月２４日に日本へいきます。
よろしくおねがいします。
オールト　みお

Katakana Project

The Ainu （アイヌ）are a group of people who live in Northern Japan.  They are thought to be indigenous to Japan, and have their own language and culture.  The population of the Ainu has declined, but there are still people who identify themselves as Ainu living in Japan.  They write entirely in katakana.  This could be because perhaps they did not have a writing system before the Japanese came to Japan, and after the Japanese derived their hiragana and katakana, the Ainu adopted part of their writing system as well.  In this case, the Ainu usage of katakana fits the concept of writing foreign words in katakana. Their language/culture is different from Japanese so they while the words aren't foreign to them, they are foreign to the Japanese language.  Therefore, instead of adopting both hiragana and katakana, they only adopted katakana. Perhaps,  over the years when the Ainu regions were taken over by more japanese, the japanese started writing ainu words in katakana because they were foreign words, and from there after, the language was written in katakana.   

On a suntory energy drink called "dakara," in katakana is written フレッシュなスタート.  Or, "Fresh Start."  There is a way to say "fresh start" in japanese, but for some reason, the marketing company decided to write fresh start in katakana instead.  While the usage of this katakana falls under the "loan words" category, there is something behind the fact that they decided to use loan words in this particular instance.  It is likely to make the product look "cool." Many japanese have embraced western culture and by having foreign words on a bottle or in an ad, it will appeal to those who like western culture.  

The text books describe katakana very simply.  Two state that katakana is used for writing loanwords and foreign names.  Another one says it is used mainly for words borrowed from other languages, and for sounds.  The last description also states that it is for loanwords, onomatopoeic words, and words the writer wishes to emphasize.  This last description is the most accurate, for the other ones did not say that they can also be used for emphasis, and only one other mentioned onomatopoeia.  These are probably introductory japanese text books that are outlining the most basic usages of katakana, thus they only mention the most common usage of katakana, which is for foreign words.  It seems that perhaps katakana was initially only used for foreign/loan words, and then as Japanese culture became more in touch with western culture, they adopted more foreign words to the point where people started replacing japanese words with foreign words in an effort to sound more sophisticated or "cool." Thus in many advertisements you see foreign words written in katakana, even though they have japanese words.  A writer may use katakana to write a japanese word for emphasis.  If a word that is normally written in hiragana or kanji is changed to katakana, then this will draw the attention of the reader to the word, enhancing the meaning of the word.  In both advertisements and emphasis, katakana thus is used to call attention to the viewer/reader.  In all usages, foreign words, sounds, emphasis, it is used to convey something that could not be conveyed by other Japanese scripts.  

Today

おはようございます。
いまくじよんじゅっぷんです。きょうのあさしちじはんにおきました。まいあさしちじはんにおきます。ねむいです！　きょうのあさごはんにたまごとぱんをたべました。　にほんごのクラスくじじゅっぷんからじゅうじじゅうごふんまであります。でもまいあさありません。げつようびからもくようびまであります。
せんしゅう のきんようびにミシガンへいきました。ひこうきでいきました。さかなつりをしました。きのうのよるうちへかいりました。
じゅうじさんじゅごふんにれきしのクラスあります、だからいまクラスヘいきます。じゃまたね！

Shabu Shabu

I am currently いぬ　(dog) sitting for a friend on the upper east side.  While I don't normally like this neighborhood all too much, it is close to one of my favorite japanese restaurants that I have been coming to with my family for years.  Therefore I am very pleased to be staying here for it is an excuse to eat there!  I haven't been for a few months, so I went last night with a friend and had a sushi/sashimi combination.  The sushi chef (who dresses up in a bunny costume if its your birthday!!) gave us whatever was the freshest of the day.  We had suzuki, hamachi, tuna, ika, mackeral, shrimp, and much more.

The restaurant is named for the dish "shabu-shabu" which is where you get a big pot of boiling water and cook thin slices of meat and vegetables in the pot at the table.  My grandfather told me it was named "shabu-shabu" after the "shabu-shabu" sound the meat makes as you move it around the water to cook it.

It is a wonderful restaurant at 70th between 2nd and 3rd, a little pricey, so maybe if your parents come in to visit and want to take you for a nice japanese meal, have them take you there;)

Why I chose to study Japanese

I decided to study Japanese because my mother is from Japan and I spoke it as a child.  However, I grew up in New York and my family stopped using it in the house when I was still young so I do not remember how to speak it.  I love the country of Japan and whenever I visit, I always wish I spoke the language.  I am excited to improve my Japanese so I can better communicate with my family members that still live in Japan.  I am also excited to learn how to read and write in Japanese, though this is something that I have found difficult in the first couple of weeks.  No matter how slow I write, or how hard I try to be as precise as possible, the hiragana characters never turn out to look like the ones I am copying.  Hopefully this will become easier with practice!

self introduction

こんにちは、
なまえはみおです。アメリカじんです。コロンビア　だいがくのがくせいです。三ねんせい　です。ニューヨークからきました。にじゅはっさいです。