Katakana, which was developed in the 9th century by Japanese students of Buddhism and now an independent Japanese alphabet, bears several implications and usage in itself.
Katakana is expressed differently in various texts, including the transcription of foreign words and creating an exotic and sophisticated effect. Besides describing loan words and names, one of the major usages of Katakana involve emphasizing phrases or words that are deemed important to the author, similar to italics or bold words in English.
Among these several usages of Katakana, 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.
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