Katakana Literary Work Revised

Most of the katakana I used was for onomatopoeia (found almost all on this page http://www.japansugoi.com/wordpress/common-japanese-onomatopoeia-word-sounds-found-in-manga/).

onomatopoeia

ピカ - sparkle

ヒュ - flash

シュ - falling

タ - running

ガシャン - crashing

ポロ - crying

loanwords

カメラ - camera

キヤノン - camera company, Canon

I chose the words because I felt they fit what I was trying to portray best. The loanwords were used because a camera was the focus of the story. The onomatopoeia was used in order to emphasize the features of the camera, and to dramatize the last panel of the comic as well as the buildup to it.

Composition 3

ニ十ねんごのいま、わたしはエンジニアです。かいしゃいんです。しごとはたのしいです。そしておもしろいです。わたしのうちはニューヨークかカリフォニアにあります。うちはとてもおおきいです。そしてきれいです。たくさんおかねがあります。かぞくはかのじょかつまとわたしです。わたしはひまなとき、りょこうをします。アジアとヨーロッパへいきます。

ネオン

じゅういちがつじゅうはちにちに「Technolux」へいきました。「Technolux」はブルックリンにあります。ライトとグラスの会社です。わたしはネオンライト(neon light)をつくった(made)。「Technolux」はとてもおおきいですが、きれいじゃありません。ふるいビルです。わたしのライトはあおいです。いろいろ色(colors)がありました。

せんしゅうのやすみわたしはべんきょしました。ともだちとディスプレイ(displays)のクラスのプロジェクトをしました。プロジェクトをおわりませんでした。こんしゅうプロジェクトをおわります。じかんがありませんでしたから、うちへかえりませんでした。

Katakana Analysis (final)

It was difficult to find words that didn't emphasize or loan words. One example I found was the word キヤノン which is for Canon, the Japanese camera company. After doing some research, I found that Canon was formerly named Kwanon after Guanyin (called Kannon in Japan), a bodhisattva (confusing, I know). So basically, it ended up just being a way to write a foreign name. I don't quite understand why it's キヤノン and not カノン. Many other companies seem to use katakana for writing their names, if they don't use romaji already. It seems that wherever katakana is used for emphasis, companies tend to also just use English to further that point as seen in companies like Toyota. Many company names also use katakana but happen to be loanwords like レイク(lake) and プロミス (promise).

In manga, katakana is often used for onomatopoeia. In the Dragon Ball manga below, every kind of action is also given a sound effect. In the right page, the kamehameha is given a sound effect represented as キュアアツ. In the left page, jumping is given a sound effect represented as パツ. Truthfully, I think these representations are just as bad as the ones on American comics.

I read that katakana is also used to depict foreign accents or robotic speech in writing which seem to also fall under emphasis. Additionally, katakana (and only katakana) was used in telegraphs years ago. Scientific terms are also generally expressed in katakana.

あたらしいカメラ

Because I'm artistically inept, I borrowed all of my graphics from Cyanide & Happiness (http://www.explosm.net) from many different comics. The story is mine though!

さくぶん２

やまださんへ

はじめまして。ポーメスです。ニューヨークからきました。コロンビアだいがくのがくせいです。エンジニアのがくせいです。がっこはとてもむずかしですがおもしろいです。しゅくだいがたくさなありますからあまりねません。いつもうちでべんきょうしますがときどきとしょかんでべんきょうします。わたしのしゅみはテレビとおんがくです。わたしはりょうりがにがてです。そしてたべものがだいすきです。にほんのりょうりはおいしいです。ごがつはつかにひこうきでにほんへいきます。どうぞよろしくおねがいします。

ポーメスステファンより

Katakana Analysis Draft

It was difficult to find words that didn't emphasize or loan words. One example I found was the word キヤノン which is for Canon, the Japanese camera company. After doing some research, I found that Canon was formerly named Kwanon after Guanyin (called Kannon in Japan), a bodhisattva (confusing, I know). So basically, it ended up just being a way to write a foreign name. I don't quite understand why it's キヤノン and not カノン. Many other companies seem to use katakana for writing their names, if they don't use romaji already. It seems that wherever katakana is used for emphasis, companies tend to also just use English to further that point as seen in companies like Toyota. Many company names also use katakana but happen to be loanwords like レイク(lake) and プロミス (promise).

In manga, katakana is often used for onomatopoeia. In the Dragon Ball manga below, every kind of action is also given a sound effect. In the right page, the kamehameha is given a sound effect represented as キュアアツ. In the left page, jumping is given a sound effect represented as パツ. Truthfully, I think these representations are just as bad as the ones on American comics.

I read that katakana is also used to depict foreign accents or robotic speech in writing which seem to also fall under emphasis. Additionally, katakana (and only katakana) was used in telegraphs years ago. Scienctific terms are generally expressed in katakana.

I found a great website with unusual uses on katakana:
http://gakuranman.com/unusual-katakana-words/

*from aforementioned page

I'll pretend some terms aren't there:

バーター (sidekick) and デマ (rumor) are definitely not loanwords from English, so it could be from another language, but it could also be emphasis. If none apply, these are definitely a special cases.

Video games!

わたしのしゅみはvideo gamesです。わたしはShadow of the Colossus(ワンダと巨像 in Japan)とFinal Fantasyがすきです。

Shadow of the Colossus is one of my favorite games and it was created by Sony's Japan Studio. えいごじゃありません。にほんごじゃありません。 It isn't a traditional game in the sense that it is composed of only "boss" fights. I also really like the music in the game.

One of my favorite fights:
EDIT: So I pulled up this video without sound, I didn't realize there was an annoying guy talking over it. I recommend muting it.


From the soundtrack:


One of my favorite things about the Final Fantasy series is the music also (the series has gone downhill). ことしちかてつでBrooklyn Academy of MusicのDistant Worldsへいきました。 Distant Worlds is a concert based on the music of the Final Fantasy series composed by Nobuo Uematsu. There, I also met him and he autographed some of my things.

California

This summer, I lived at Caltech in Pasadena for an internship.
わたしはNASAのJet Propulsion Laboratoryのかいしゃいんでした。
ろくがつからはちがつまではたらきました。

                             

The best part of California was probably the food and weather. I didn't own an umbrella, and I've been told it rained twice while I was there. Of course, with as little water as there was, the sprinklers were on all night, every night, for every patch of grass. As for the food, it was really just in しょうとうきょう (Little Tokyo) and Chinatown that the food was great. 大黒家 (Daikokuya) has the best Japanese food I've ever had. The ラーメン (ramen) with チャーシュー(sliced pork) was the best I'd ever eaten. IPPUDO NY in downtown Manhattan is at a very close (more expensive) second place though. Additionally, there were very cool stores, and in one I met Nicolas Cage (an anime store). I also went to Lancaster, which according to Youtube is best known for its fights... Lockheed Martin's decommissioned jets and planes were on display around there.

 

I'm here because...

Hi, my name is Stephen Pomes and I'm a senior electrical engineering student at Columbia University specializing in analog circuit design. I chose to take Japanese for many reasons, but mostly because of my interest in Japanese movies, anime, and video games. I've been playing video games since before I could read and many of my favorite games originate in Japan such as the Final Fantasy series and Metal Gear Solid series. Growing up, I also played games like Pokemon and Super Mario Brothers and watched anime such as Dragon Ball Z and Gundam Wing, all of which come from Japan.

I find it difficult to write hiragana perfectly, taking into account both stops and continues on every character. It's especially difficult for me to emulate the lifting effect that is done with a paintbrush. I still feel very accomplished since now I can actually read hiragana and it doesn't just look like a huge jumble of drawings anymore. On the other hand, it has been relatively easy to get started with the speaking of the language as I have already been able to pick up some vocabulary or phrases from anime and movies I've watched.

Introduction

こにちわ。はじめまして。
わたしはポメスステフエンです。
わたしはアメリカ人です。
ニューヨークシティからきました。
コロンビアだいがくのだいがくせいです。
わたしはえんじにあのがくせいです。
わたしはよねんせいです。