二十年後のわたし

わたしは日本で会社員になりますから、日本にいます。とうきょうでおっとといっしょにあまり大きくないうちがあります。こどもがいませんから、毎週、しゅうまつにわたしはともだちとびじゅつかんやカラオケへ行きます。そして毎週の日曜日にうちのちかくのこうえんをおっととさんぽします。わたしはりょうりをするのが好きですが、あまりじょうずじゃありません。おっとのりょうりはわたしのよりおいしいです。まちのせいかつはいそがしいですが、たのしいです。

Revised Katakana Literary Works

笑み
ともだちの
なまえをいえば
エミうかぶ
English: If I say the name of my friend, a smile appears on my face.
I chose to change 'emi' to katakana to emphasize the happiness and cheeriness of a smile.


心
わすれない
ココロのなかに
すべてある
English: Do not forget, within your heart everything exists.
I chose to change kokoro to katakana to emphasize the heart. I imagine parents telling this to their children as an equivalent to "You can do anything" or "I see the future in your eyes."  


暗い
あかるいめ
なにがみえるか
クライです
English: Bright eyes, can you see anything, "kurai" 
Someone asks "Bright Eyes" a question and in the third line "Bright Eyes" responds. I intentionally changed 'kurai' to katakana to give it a double meaning. くらい or クライ are equally dark responses because the last line can either mean "(I see) darkness" or "(I see) crying." There is also the option that Bright Eyes does not respond and it the questioner who says "It is dark".

Revised Katakana Analysis

Source

For this advertisement, the name of the drink is オロナミンC (Oronamin C) and the slogan is 元気ハツラツ (Genki Hatsuratsu = Healthy Cheerful/Full of Life). The name of the drink is understandably in Katakana to give it emphasis and make it look cooler and the name sounds like a combination of loan words. The "min C" at the end might have come from vitamin C. After looking into the history of this product, I saw that I was correct in my assumption about vitamin C and found out that the "Oro" comes from an earlier product, Oronine H Ointment, made by the same company, the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company. They hoped this new product would generate a familiarity with it's audience. It is slightly similar to the way apple places a lower case "i" before each product.

The slogan is more interesting because it is slightly redundant and grammatically incorrect and hatsuratsu is a Japanese word that has been written in katakana. Both genki and hatsuratsu are adjectives meaning healthy and lively but hatsuratsu has more emphasis on cheerfulness. When written in katakana, it has even more emphasis. Another reason for using katakana is onomatopoeia. Hatsuratsu even sounds like other  Japanese onomatopoeia like "gaku gaku" (tremble tremble), "pata pata" (pitter patter), or "kachi kochi" (body tensing up). You can't really hear a body tensing up, but there is a sound associated with the action. Likewise, it is possible that "hatsu ratsu" is the sound one thinks of when they think of a healthy person. 

Textbooks are different in explaining katakana because there are so many different ways to  explain them and there is no official explanation of usage. It also seems like the usage of katakana is always changing, therefore textbooks written at different times will explain katakana in the context of the time it was written.

Katakana Literary Assignment

笑み
ともだちの
なまえをいえば
エミうかぶ
English: If I say the name of my friend, a smile appears on my face.
I chose to change 'emi' to katakana to emphasize the happiness and cheeriness of a smile.


心
わすれない
ココロのなかで
すべてある
English: Do not forget, within your heart everything exists.
I chose to change kokoro to katakana to emphasize the heart. I imagine parents telling this to their children as an equivalent to "You can do anything" or "I see the future in your eyes."  


暗い
あかるいめ
なにがみえるか
クライです
English: Bright eyes, can you see anything, "kurai" 
Someone asks "Bright Eyes" a question and in the third line "Bright Eyes" responds. I intentionally changed 'kurai' to katakana to give it a double meaning. くらい or クライ are equally dark responses because the last line can either mean "(I see) darkness" or "(I see) crying." There is also the option that Bright Eyes does not respond and it the questioner who says "It is dark".

Literary Draft (wrong assignment)

I misunderstood the prompt. Please disregard this draft. I will write another blog post soon with the correct assignment.  (^_^')


All Saints Day
Candy on the streets
Carved pumpkins rotting inside
Candle is blown out

笑み
ともだちの
なまえをいえば
えみうかぶ
(English: If I say the name of my friend, a smile appears on my face)


Star-Crossed
Eyes reflecting love
Sparkle like the starry night
Two hearts beat as one

さくぶん２

やまださんへ

　　　わたしのなまえはラッセル　ミレーシーです。コロンビアだいがくの一ねんせいです。だいがくのせいかつはいそがしいですが、おもしろいです。そしてたのしいです。コロンビアのキャンパスはとてもきれいです。わたしはコロンビアだいがくがだいすきです。六月十七日ににほんへいきます。

　　　よろしくおねがいします。

カタカナ Analysis Draft

Source

For this advertisement, the name of the drink is オロナミンC (Oronamin C) and the slogan is 元気ハツラツ (Genki Hatsuratsu = Healthy Cheerful/Full of Life). The name of the drink is understandably in Katakana to give it emphasis and make it look cooler and the name sounds like a combination of loan words. I cant figure out "Orona" but the "min C" at the end might have come from vitamin C.

The slogan is more interesting because it is slightly redundant and grammatically incorrect and hatsuratsu is a Japanese word that has been written in katakana. Both genki and hatsuratsu are adjectives meaning healthy and lively but hatsuratsu has more emphasis on cheerfulness. When written in katakana, it has even more emphasis.

Textbooks are different in explaining katakana because there are so many different ways to  explain them and there is no official explanation of usage. It also seems like the usage of katakana is always changing, therefore textbooks written at different times will explain katakana in the context of the time it was written.

My Routine (or the routine I wish I had)

げつようび　から　もくようび　まで　ごぜんしちじ　に　おきます。はちじ　に　あさごはん 　を　たべます。くじ　から　じゅうにじ　まで　クラス　が　あります。ひるごはん　は　じゅうにじ　です。いちじ　から　さんじ　まで　クラス　が　あります。さんじ　から　ごじ　まで　やすみます。ばんごはん　は　ごじ　です。ろくじ　から　じゅうじ　まで　べんきょうします。じゅういちじ　に　ねます。

きんようび　から　にちようび　まで　にじゅうよじかん　に　やすみます。

The Power of a Smile

I love to smile. Everyday I try to smile on the path to a random stranger. Weird? Maybe, but everyone appreciates a smile even when they're stuck wondering if we've met, even though we never had. I started doing this one day after hearing a pretty sad story. It was the story of a man who left his home, walked to a bridge, and committed suicide, but he had left a note on his desk reading, "If anyone smiles at me on the way from my house to this bridge, I will not jump." A smile is a truly beautiful and powerful action. Will you smile at someone today? :)

日本が大好き！（I love Japan)

I will admit that I started learning Japanese because of my interest in anime, but over the last few years my love for the Japanese language and culture has blossomed into something I never would have imagined back when I started watching DragonBallZ and Sailor Moon in my childhood. I never imagined that I would have the experience of living in Japan with a host family. And I definitely had no idea that one of my host sisters would come visit me in America during her exchange program in an American school. So many wonderful things have been sparked from a childhood interest in anime.

Self-Introduction

はじめまして。私（わたし）の名前（なまえ）は　ラッセル　ジョージェル　だけど(but)、ミデル（middle) の名前(なまえ）を使（つか）います（use)。ミデル（middle)の名前(なまえ）はミレーシ(Millacy)です。ジャマイカ（Jamaica) に生（う）まれました(was born)。ニュウジャージ（New Jersey) からきました。コルンビア(Columbia)大学(だいがく）の一年生（いちねんせい）です。十八（じゅうはっ）さいです。どうぞよろしく。