Sunday, September 29, 2013

Katakana Analysis(Draft)

 
Katakana Analysis(Draft)
 
 
1. Loanwords/Foreign names
This is a picture from a famous Japanese comic/cartoon Detective Conan名探偵コナン. The name Conan is from the author of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Author Conan Doyle, a world-known English writer. Therefore, it is written in katakana.

2.Fashion?
The picture is from an interesting website Culture Japan which introduces a lot about Japanese food, places of interest, social activities, etc. This is a signboard of 東京チカラめし, a well-known restaurant in Japan. チカラ is the pronouciation of 力, a kanji which means power and energy. There might be two reasons for this rewritten sign. The first one is that the Chinese character力 is similar to カ in katakana. In order to avoid the misunderstaning, 力 is replaced by katakana. Secondly, katakana is more fashionable than hiragana, which is often regarded as childish.

3. Loanwords
This is a picture of a food packaging box, from a blog of a Japanese writer. Here we have several names rewritten in katakana, all from foreign names of food. The name on the top on the packing box クッキース is from the English name "cookies". The three names on the bottom on leftside list three tastes of the cookies. The first one is the ココナッツ coconut; the second one is カスタードcustard;the last one is チョコーレートchocolate. It seems that all the three kinds of food are not avaible in the previous Japan.


Sunday, September 22, 2013

Self-introduction

はじめまして。わたしはポン イユンです。コロンビアだいがくのだいがくいんせいです。ちゅうごくからきました。

まいにち しちじに おきます。じゅいちじに ねます。げつようびから もくようびまで クラスがあります。きにょうびから にちようびまで やすみます。まいあさ、ちかてつで がっこうへ いきます、じかん ありません から。ときどき、としょかんで べんきょうします。

わたしはクラシックが とても すきですが、ロックが すきじゃ ありません。それに、りょうりがじょうずです、ははは わたしに おしえました。

どうぞよろしく おねがいします。

Thursday, September 5, 2013

初めまして

初めまして。私はポン イユンです。コロンビア大学の大学院生です。中国からきました。どうぞ よろしく お願いします。

Because of my careless but catastrophic mistake that I deleted all the content of this blog by covering it with new content, I am now rewriting it. This first blog I posted recorded how I felt when I studied Japanese in America. I am always wondering why I study Japanese here. Further I would wonder why I should study Chinese history here. It is an embarrassing situation that I would be destined to vacillate between the two countries and the two cultures. I hope for something sure and certain but I cannot get it.

This feeling makes me much more panic than I am usually supposed to be in front of this tiny mistake. It makes me so pessimistic and desparate that I almost break down. I cannot believe it. I cannot believe that I am now so weak, fragile and vulnerable now. I hate myself. I hate my fate as if I am manipulated by God, if He does exist. I don't know how to get rid of it so I guess I have to be tortured forever as long as I am here, in this stupid dilemma and twisted world.