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The two words that I have chosen are クックダッセ from the package of cookies by さんりつ, and アウトソーシング from the presentation to the Prime Minister. I believe that the first katakana word, presumably a katakana translation of “couque d’asses”, produces a “Western” effect of sorts. The company may have intentionally used French in order to convince customers that its product is a high-quality, delectable European treat. According to Barbara Mueller, a professor and contributor to the Journal of Advertising Research: “Japanese manufacturers are said to have a ‘marked preference for foreign-sounding brand names because they are supposed to lend a touch of class or prestige to the product’…” (Mueller 16). This becomes even more obvious in the case of “couque d’asses”, which is neither a dessert nor a coherent French expression; but because the phrase sounds French, it may appeal to curious Japanese consumers.
The second word, アウトソーシング, is the katakana for “outsourcing”. In 2002, minister for public management Toranosuke Katayama delivered a speech to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi about Japanese IT strategies. According to an article in Japan Inc. magazine from July 2002, Katayama used “about 30 katakana business terms” (PM Blows Lid 5) before the Prime Minister interrupted the speaker to ask about these words. The minister for public management explained to the PM that “the Japanese language just doesn’t have the vocabulary yet for relatively new business concepts like outsourcing, back office, and incubator” (5). Thus, the reason for katakana use here is practical. Some words are written in katakana until a native equivalent is developed and agreed on. The Prime Minister argued that there was no point in using these words if Japanese citizens had no idea what they meant. However, they do suffice for businessmen who know English, and these are the people who use these terms regularly.
2) Also, think why there are such effects/purposes.
While both sources use katakana to represent foreign loanwords, the effects that they create are different. The chocolate cookies may appeal to consumers because they contain elements of Western culture. Of course, this does not imply that Western cuisine is inherently superior; for Westerners also admire and have a fascination with Japanese culinary delights like sushi, sashimi, udon, and soba. I believe that since Japan ended its policy of isolation at the start of the Meiji Era, and especially since its extended encounter with Westerners in World War II, Japan has grown curious about culture on the European and North American continents. With regard with the katakana-laden speech delivered to the Japanese Prime Minister, the effect is not so much psychological as it is linguistic. It addresses the issue of incorporating a flood of new English vocabulary into the Japanese lexicon. Katakana seems like a convenient and practical way to describe business concepts like “outsourcing” until new words are developed. But there is a chance that foreign words can undermine the effectiveness of native Japanese, as the Prime Minister pointed out.
3) Think about why each textbook is different in explaining katakana, and why the textbooks explained katakana in the manners that they did.
In class we received material from several different textbooks explaining the Japanese writing systems. All of them were very general in describing katakana as useful for writing (1) foreign loanwords, (2) onomatopoeia, and (3) emphatic words. I feel that the two books I used to analyze the katakana above give us much insight into the first and perhaps most common of the categories that I listed.
The first book, which I used to analyze the cultural appeal of foreign words, is the Journal of Advertising Research. This particular article, titled “Standardization vs. Specialization: An Examination of Westernization in Japanese Advertising”, was published in the January/February 1992 issue. It makes sense that this source explained katakana from a cultural/psychological perspective because it comes from an advertiser’s point of view. Advertisers look for ways to tap into the consumer’s psyche and get him/her to buy a product. Thus, the journal writers probably saw the “Western” effect immediately and determined that katakana was commonly used for this purpose.
The second source was an article called “PM Blows Lid over Katakana Terms” in the July 2002 issue of J@pan Inc. magazine. J@pan Inc. is targeted towards foreigners living in Japan who want information on IT companies and trends within various Japanese industries. It makes sense that such a magazine would see katakana as it relates to the business world: a practical means by which to acquaint Japanese businessmen with new business lingo. It also makes sense that the magazine would expect its English-speaking audience to be familiar with the terms “outsourcing” and “back-office”.
Thus, these two sources show us that both cultural curiosity and practical necessity are two important motivations for using katakana.
Sources
Barbara, Mueller. Standardization vs. Specialization: An Examination of Westernization in Japanese Advertising. Journal of advertising research 32.1 1992: 15. Cambridge University Press. 29 Oct 2010.
PM Blows Lid over Katakana Terms. J@pan Inc. 33 2002: 5. LINC Japan. 29 Oct 2010.
Wow, quite the in-depth analysis! Perhaps the use of katakana business terms can be viewed similarly to the way in which plants and animals are named with katakana, and thereby are more similar to their counterparts in other languages. Just like scientists from different countries need to have a common vocabulary, it can be useful for businessmen to have certain terms in common. When creating a new word from a specialized term, it can simply be more practical to make the Japanese word similar to the original one. Of course, when there are suitable native words, they may be the better option, as Koizumi seems to believe.
ReplyDeleteVery comprehensible and interesting analysis! I like how you chose two different katakana usage samples. You not only highlighted the intended effects of katakana, but also touched upon the nature of language as living and evolving.
ReplyDeleteExcellent analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteすごい分析ですね！It's a very deep analysis of the usage and effects of Katakana!
ReplyDeleteAs you pointed out, katakana is mainly used for writing foreign words or words of foreign origin. Some examples are クラス、ペン、バス、etc. However, it seems that katakana does more than simply tell us that the word has a foreign origin. As you mentioned how クックダッセ appeals more to the customers than an alternative Japanese name, the use of katakana creates a western image that appears as cool, fancy, and reliable to the general public. Ever since the Meiji Restoration and the inflow of western culture and the advent of America as the world's superpower, not only japan but also most Asian countries still have an image of the West as being strong, reliable, advanced, and cool. For example, in Korea, many Korean fashion companies adopt a french or american style brand name in order to make the customers think that they are a foreign brand. Similarly, if クックダッセ was written in a japanese name or くっくだっせ、many customers will have a lower opinion of that brand.
And for the practical usage of katakana, I guess it's more natural to adopt the english word itself than to create a new japanese word. In addition to outsourcing, buses are also still notated as バス, not replaced by a japanese word.
Also, I've noticed in japanese TV shows that katakana is used to emphasize nouns or verbs that is typically written in hiragana/kanji. It would be interesting to research more on the usage of katakana as an emphasis!
おもしろい記事を書いてくださって、ありがとうございます〜
すばらしいレーポトを作りましたよ！
ReplyDeleteBoth of the examples you gave were really interesting and good examples of katakana usage.
With the first example, you are correct in saying that the Japanese are more apt to purchase a product if it seems foreign because of an added "class" or "prestige." When I was in Japan this previous summer, the majority of advertisements employed this sort of strategy, trying to make their product seem as advanced and cool as possible. I think it's especially ironic in the example you gave that the words being katakanized ("Couque D'asses") aren't even real French words. Not having studied French, I wouldn't have known that unless you told me. But the desired effect would have been achieved, I would have thought they were fancier, higher-quality cookies. So we can actually see the same strategy employed in English advertising as well.
I think the second example is especially good because it addresses a linguistic function that katakana fulfills that isn't really mentioned all that often. In fact, a lot of vocabulary in Japanese simply stays in their katakana form, without a specifically Japanese word created for it. I think a lot these words share the same kind of origin as outsourcing. As a computer science major, I've looked up Japanese terms for the material I'm learning and found that the majority of them are simply katakanized forms of English words. I think it'd be interesting to research what happens to words sitting in that gray zone and by what process new words are coined (if at all) to replace the katakana.
この記事を書いて下さって、ありがとうございます！
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ReplyDeleteとても in-depth and おもしろい analysisですね。i totally agree with you that materials we received in class were very general in explaining katakana usage
ReplyDeleteとてもおもしろいレポートです。よくかきましたね！
ReplyDeleteYou raised a very interesting point in your response to question 2 that "there is a chance that foreign words can undermine the effectiveness of native Japanese, as the Prime Minister pointed out. " This is very interesting because it is true that many Japanese young people, after using too much katakana to replace original kanji, get so acquainted with katakana that kanji really gets no position in modern business advertisement. Hence it really undermines the effectiveness of native Japanese (especially the Kanji). Yet I've also seen some others pointing out that just as how Japanese adopted Chinese Kanji into their own language, it is also possible that after Japanese adopt many foreign words, they add new Japanese meaning to the imported words (for example, morning service and モーニングサービス have totally different meanings in Japanese and in English, according to my friend). Maybe in the near future Katakana will take a very important role in Japanese language and culture.
にほんごがおもしろいので、よくがんばってね！