カタカナ ワーク (Final)

カみのかミ
カミナリのナリ
ナりのなリ


Definitions (from jisho.org):


かみ - long ago, paper, hair, god/deity
かみなり - thunder
なり - shape, style, sound

日本のミーム(Meme)

みなさん、今晩は！
たくさん日本のミームビデオがありますね～見て下さい：

おもしろいですね。ケッチーと思います。
つぎ：

とても上手にビットボクスをします。

すごいね～！

すみませんけど、あしたミドタームがありますから、勉強しに行きます。
じゃあ、また！

カタカナ ワーク

カみのかミ
カミナリのナリ
ナりのなリ

Katakana Analysis

「ゴン」、「ザッ」、「シュルルル」、「ググッ」,Onomatopoeia, なるとまんが

カタカナ is often used for emulating sounds and noises. As indicated in our なかま textbook and various online sources, this is one of the easier-to-spot uses of  カタカナ. In this sense, カタカナ can be interpreted as conveying no inherent meaning in the characters, similar to its use serving as a loanword alphabet, in which the word itself contains no meaning, instead referring to a borrowed concept. Contrast this with ひらがな or かんじ, in which characters or sets of characters carry meaning.

The examples seen in the manga page are very interesting. The first,「ゴン」 , is fairly straightforward, perhaps similar to "gong", or some other loud, resonant sound effect. 「ザッ」and 「ググッ」both have a very interesting small ッ at the end. I suspect the intent is to indicate a staccato sound; that is, to signal an abrupt cut-off to the sound preceding. This style is often seen in sounds produced by sudden events or movements, often in a very dramatic fashion. Lastly, 「シュルルル」may represent some sort of repeated swishing noise or higher pitched rumbling.

A very interesting aspect of  カタカナ use in these sorts of situations is the physical appearance of the script. As opposed to ひらがな's rounder, more fluid strokes, カタカナ can be presented in sharp, angular styles. This often adds to the dramatic feel of the events and actions being illustrated, and I find that the characters themselves play a huge role in the feel of any given page or frame of まんが. The 「ゴン」script is even stylized to appear as if the text itself is being shaken and jarred by the event, and works to further engage the reader in subtle manners.

「スズキ」、「ニュ－スリリース」, Business words, Suzuki Motors website
In orders of official business, カタカナ is often used.  In this particular example, カタカナ and kanji are dominant, with ひらがな being used only as particles, and sparingly at that.This is likely due to the historical/traditional relationship between カタカナ and patriarchal society. That is, areas of life more commonly controlled by males is likewise linked to カタカナ. Of course, as gender roles have merged and blurred, this distinction may no longer be strictly valid, but it appears that the tradition of using カタカナ script for more male-controlled areas of life (such as business and government) have perpetuated.

While most sources and texts tend not to mention this area of カタカナ usage, some do refer to "orders of official business" as common areas, which I take to mean business itself, in a broader sense.

The visual appearance of カタカナ itself may also suggest a more serious, more reliable nature, contrasting with the more curvy, free form of ひらがな. This in turn suggests professionalism that many/most companies wish to present. The angles and straight(er) strokes of カタカナ may also convey a feeling of higher technical prowess. As such, many products appear to be named in カタカナ: 「アルドエコ」、「ソリオ」、「スイフト」、「MRワゴン」.