On the Use of Katakana in a Modern Japanese Essay

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to carry out a pilot investigation on the use of katakana in a modern Japanese essay, and to compare how the usage of katakana differs between daily newspaper and a modern essay. Among the words written in katakana, special focus was given to the higairaigo, which are normally written in kanzi or hiragana. The material chosen for the present study is “Runrun o katte o-uti ni kaeroo” by Mariko Hayasi. This author writes in a very modern way, keeping the written language close to the spoken word. This style in literature is called genbun ittitai. The earliest examples of literature in this style are from the l7th century. But it was not until around 1890 that the style began to develop, through the works of authors like Simei Hutabatei and Bimyo Yamada. Classical Japanese literature is heavily influenced by classical Chinese, and even today the forma! written language retains much of this character. Mariko Hayasi has been recognised for her successful use of a radical and modern form ofgenbun ittitai. The following questions were posed in the present study: What kinds of words are written in katakana? Does the use of katakana in this book differ from that in the daily newspaper Asahi Shinbun, analysed by Nakayarna (1998)? If so, in what respects does it differ? Why does Mariko Hayasi choose to write these particular words in katakana?