Among the several uses of Katakana, including the transcription of foreign words and creating an exotic and sophisticated effect as mentioned in the texts, I would like to focus on the specific feelings and sensations generated through the use of onomatopoeic Katakana.
In Utada Hikaru's "Automatic," the use of such onomatopoeic Katakana heighten the intense feelings of love in the song. For instance, when the lyric says merely being with you and looking into your eyes, onomatopoeic Katakana comes into play, as it states, "トキドキ止まらない..." meaning -my heart cannot stop from pitter-pattering.- Here, the use ofドキドキ intensifies the extent to which the person feels nervous, yet excited at the same time when being with her lover. In addition, when explaining how she exactly feels when she is in her lover's breast, she describes, "キラキラまぶしくて..." meaning -everything seems to glitter (twinkle-twinkle).- Instead of recounting her wonderful experience otherwise, she describes the situation as キラキラ, illustrating the magical and marvelous sensations when she is together with her love.
As such, these onomatopoeic Katakana not only add meaning and context to the songs, but also heighten the feelings and emotions of the one in love. Without the use of such onomatopoeic Katakana, the phrases would indeed be bland and expressionless. Thus, the onomatopoeic Katakana enriches both the song and the experience of the listeners.
アンジェラーさん、
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of the katakana. I can definitely see why those words are used the way they are. It's interesting to see that "doki" is the pitter-pattering of a heart, and "raki" is the twinkling of stars!
-ジム
I also think you understood the katakana use well in this context. I think it's so interesting how sound effects are written in a script that separates them from the rest of the text. Of course, whether or not it was written in katakana doesn't really matter if you're just listening, but including onomatopoeias does enrich the song.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your analysis on the effect of katakana's use on generating and enriching feelings and emotions. Even if there are equivalent hiragana and kanji words, in many cases, not just in songs' lyric, using katakana can creates more intense feeling, and draw attention from readers. I think it is the emphatic effect of katakana. Good start on the project.
Of course, the uses of katakana are really diverse. There are more to analyze. Keep up with your good work.
Ganbatte ne!
-G
Thank you for your interesting analysis on the impact of onomatopoeic katakana use in love songs.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that Utada Hikaru will also agree with you. "キラキラ,” when written in katakana, definitely adds "the magical and marvelous sensations" as you write, and that is what Utada wanted to express in the song...well, tabun ne.
I want to read your analysis on different aspects of katakana use as well! Gambatte!