ザ or ザー is used in an illustration to imitate the sound of rain. This example of onomatopoeia is also written in katakana.
The "オバマ" part is a person's name, so the word itself does not have any real meaning. It cannot be written in kanji, because that writing system is based on meaning and not sound, and オバマ does not have a Japanese definition, it is just the sound of the man's name. This is also a reason that ザ can't be written in kanji, because the word just sound rather than meaning. バーグ written in katakana also lets the reader know that it is not originally a Japanese word. The character ザ becomes a part of the picture, not just text. It is written with the the same sharp vertical lines as the rain. Hiragana is more curved and would not have the same visual affect.
Different textbooks explain katakana in different ways because there are a variety of ways to use katakana. How it is used could depend on an author's own style, and there may be more than one correct way to write a word.
That's a really great point you make about the author-specific use of katakana. The fact that there don't seem to be strict rules regulating the usage of katakana gives individual authors lots of room to experiment and be creative in their writing. The fact that a word can be written in multiple ways must make Japanese poetry and literature fascinating. Maybe one day we'll have learned enough Japanese to find out, haha!
ReplyDeleteとてもおもしろいです! I have never thought that the character “ザ” or “ザー” becomes a part of the picture! That is very interesting point of view!! As you know, katakana can represent a wider range of sounds than hiragana or kanji, so authors can put individual effect into them. Analyzing and comparing several writing styles of katakana words will be interesting way to understand meanings and function of katakana deeply. I hope you would keep your interest in it :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, do you know the reason why products with name of “オバマ” are sold in Japan? There is a city named “小浜(=おばま)” in Fukui prefecture in Japan and people in 小浜 city thought it was a good way for community revitalization to print the U.S. President’s name “Obama” on the products because it is same name as the city. That is why there are a lot of products named “オバマ". “オバマ” is not only a person’s name but also a city’s name, and by using katakana, “オバマ” emphasize the city’s name which is same as President’s name of the United States.
これはおもしろですね。わたしも日本のマンガをよくよみますが、「ザー」のいみがよくわかりませんでした。オバマのパンのはなしも、はじめてききました。おなじカタカナでも、人についてつかいかたがちがうから、おもしろいですね。
ReplyDeleteI like how you examine the subtler uses of Katakana, namely sound imitation (オバマハンバーグ lol) and even the aesthetic role (ザ-) that Katakana can play in artistic media - I never thought about it that way, but it really does make sense and feel right. Katakana is a flexible and dynamic language system, which is why it is oftentimes used in headlines, brand panels, and catchphrases that aim to attract attention.
ReplyDelete宇宙のテンプレートが きれいですね。。。
- Graham
I think the visual aspect that you mention about katakana is very interesting. I think I often overlook the aesthetic dimension of text and writing. I do not know the answer to this, but is calligraphy practiced in katakana? My impression that most examples of Japanese calligraphy tend to be of kanji or hiragana. Are there examples of katakana? If not, it would be interesting to think about why that is.
ReplyDeleteI like your good point that Japanese uses katagana rather than kanji because certain words have no actual meaning but merely sounds.As Chinese writing system is based on meaning, it certainly limits itself in the usage of words that emphasizes sounds with no meaning in Japanese language system.
ReplyDelete