サンクスギビングの休みのポスト！ もう モンスターハンター！

こんばんは！

ぼくは　モンスターハンターを　とても　すきですから。　この　ブログポストに　モンスターハンター　について　はなします。

アートの本を　かいました。　あたらしくて　きれいです。　ピクチャーを　みてくださいませんか！

 このは　パリコです！　パリコは　ねこで、　でも　ねこありません。　たいへんです。　そひて、　かわいい！

モンスターハンターのアルモーは　おもしろいです。　

モンスターハンターのなまえは　タイグレクスです。　とても　こわくて　大きいです！　タイグレクスは　さむいやまに　います。　ピクチャーは、　ポポを　たべます。

このは　モンスターハンターロゴです。　ゲームは　ふるいです。　

じゃあ、また。

どうもありがとうございます！

カイパー

いそがしい週末（しゅうまつ）！

今週（こんしゅう）　ぼくは　とても　いそがしかったです。　金曜日（きんようび）のごごさんじから　土曜日（どようび）のごごしちじまで　日本語（にほんご）のクラブと　シカゴに　いきました。　でも、　とてもたのしかったです。

どようびには　どじょで　あいきどを　しました。　そのあと、　レストランに　いきました。　レストランのなまえは　すしステションです。　おいしい！　ぼくは　すしのろっこを　たべましたから、　とても　おそかったです。

金曜日のばんに　カラオケを　しました。　たのしくてにぎやかでした。

どようびには　デパートに　かいものしました。　デパートのなまえは　みつわです。　大きいたてものです。　そひて、　みつわのなかに　本やとレストランが　あります。　ぼくは　モンスターハンター　イラストレーションズを　こうにゅうしました。　とても　きれいな本です。　すきです。

ありがとうございます。

じゃあ、また。

カイパー

アメリカのうちについて

こんにちは！

アメリカには　たくさん　ひとが　います。　きのあと　たくさん　うちが　あります。　小さい　うちが　あります。　大きいうちも　あります。　でも、　日本のうちは　もう小さいです。　から　アメリカは　　ひろいです。　日本は　あまりひろくありません。　わかります。　日本には　たくさん　山が　あります。　

でも、　たくさん　うちのものが　おなじです。　日本とアメリカのうちには　テレビとソファとかぞくのへやが　あります。　から　ものは　マーダン　です。　

ほんとに　テクノロジー

ちがいものが　あります。　アメリカのキチンには　たくはんきが　ありません。　アメリカジンは　ごはんを　あまり　たべません。　そひて、　アメリカのトイレは　あまりよくありません。　日本のトイレは　とても　いいです。　どうして　ですか。　わかりません。　アメリカジンは　あどけないトイレ　すきです。

ほかに、　アメリカのうちの中に　シャワーが　あります。　日本には　たくさん　おふろが　あります。　ぶんか　です。　でも、　アメリカジンのぶんかが　シャワーについて　あります。　

どうもありがとうございます。

じゃあ、　また。

カイパー

ハロウィン のポスト！

こんばんは！　ブログポストは　ハロウィンのブログポストです！

でも、　ハロウィンのまえ　です。　すみません。

ハロウィンのばんに　ぼくとともだちは　おっかないえいが　(scary movie)　みました。えいがのなまえは　“It Follows” 　です。　おんなのひとのものがたり　です。　そして　ぶきみなものが　(Spooky Thing) 　います。　ものは　おんなのうしろに　いきます　(The thing follows the girl)。

　それは　えいがです。　でも　とてもぶきみです。　えいがを　みて　おねがいします！　いいですよ。　そして　とてもきれいです。　こんばん　ぼくは　もういちど　みました。

あのう、　サウンドトラックも　いいですよ。

はい！　ありがとうございます。

じゃあ、　また。

カイパー

サウンドトラック: http://music.disasterpeace.com/album/it-follows

にほんのゆうめいなとこるのかいわ：ガーストバウアー さん と ぼく

クラスメートのなまえ：ガーストバウアーさん

ガーストバウアーさん：カイパーさん、　にほんごのブログのしゅくだいを　しましたか。

ぼく：いいえ、しませんでした。　ガーストバウアー さんは？

ガーストバウアーさん：はい、　せんしゅう　しました。　カイパーは　どうして　（ｗｈｙ）　しゅくだいを　しませんでしたか。

ぼく：えーと、　わかりません。　

ガーストバウアーさん：にんほんごのゆめいなところを　わかりますか。

ぼく：ああ、　はい！　

ガーストバウアーさん：そうして？

ぼく：じゃあ、　ぼくは　とだいじを　よみました。

ガーストバウアーさん：ええ。　とだいじは　どこに　ありますか。

ぼく：ならのまちに　あります。　とても　ふるいたてものです。　そうして、　とても　りっぱです。　とだいじは　ぶっきょうのテンプル　（Buddhist temple）　です。　ゆうめいですよ。

ガーストバウアーさん：ああ、　そうですか。　すげい！　

ぼく：はい、　すげい。　

ガーストバウアーさん：そのあと？　(after that?)

ぼく：えーと、　ああ！　わかります！　あきはばら！

ガーストバウアーさん：あきはばらは　なに　ですか。

ぼく：あきば　エレクトリック　タウン　(Electric Town)！　ときょうに　あります。　おたくのところ　です。　ちゅおのどおりのうえに　(on Chuo Street)　あります。

ガーストバウアーさん：ああ。

ぼく：いいです！　まんがとアニメとゲームが　あります。　

ガーストバウアーさん：あきばは　大きいですか。　そうして、　いいおたくや　(good Otaku stores) が　ありますか。

ぼく：あんの、　あまり　大きくありません。　でも、　おたくやは　とても　いいです。

ガーストバウアーさん：そうですか。　カイパーさんは　ブログのしゅくだいを　わかりますね。　いま　します。

ぼく：ああ！　そうですね！　わかります！　ぼくは　ブログを　かきます。　ありがとう　ございます、　ガーストバウアー さん！

ガーストバウアーさん：いいえ！

レイクメアリー： ぼくのうちのまち

ぼくのうちのまちは　レイクメアリー　です。　レイクメアリーは　アメリカのフロリダしゅうに　あります。　そうして、　デイズニーランドのちかくに (near)　あります。　フロリダは　とても　ひくいです。　やま (mountain)　じゃありません。　うちのまちは　ちいさいです。　レイクメアリーのたてものは　あたらし　と　ふるい　です。　そうして、　きれいなたてものです。　じゃあ、　あまり　きたなくありません。　

にほんのレストランが　あります。　レストランのなまえは　みかど　です。　みかどは　あかい　と　くろいたてものです。　ときどき　みかどで　ばんごはんを　たべます。　みかどのすしは　とても　いいです。　レイクメアリーは　すげいです！

ありがとうございます。

じゃあ、　また

カイパー

カタカナ: An Investigation

こんばんは、みなさん！　えいごのブログ　です。

     In conducting some investigation of カタカナ across a number of different sites, I had some interesting revelations and a few questions. The sites I chose to study are a mix. Some are videogame-devoted sites: the homepage for Dark Souls III, and Famitsu (a Japanese news-site for games). However, I also checked out Niconico, a video site similar to YouTube, as well as the online site for Asahi, a Japanese news source.

     Many of the カタカナ words that I found interesting were those related to online sites specifically, like ニュース (news) and イベント (event). Another word I found that I particularly liked wasコミュニティ(community), relating to forums or message boards for visitors to the respective sites. I am not sure why I enjoyed finding these words. I think I like that I was able to navigate the Japanese sites like a native-speaking member. Of course, there is ブログ, a familiar term by now, but it helped show me how ubiquitous certain カタカナ expressions can become when everyone agrees on their usage.

     I also took some time to look up the Japanese titles for games that I enjoy, and was actually surprised to find that many games use カタカナ for the title rather than a native Japanese word. For instance, Dark Souls is ダークソウル, and Persona is ペルソナ. Perhaps I was especially surprised because I have seen other game titles, like 新女神転生 ( しん　めがみ　てんせい) that utilize native Japanese words, and I assumed this was the standard.

     This question, of why to use カタカナ over a native Japanese equivalent, was raised in my mind at other points. I found オンライン (online) used frequently, and プレイアー (player). Are there truly no native Japanese words that can represent ideas like the internet or a player of games? Or maybe there are, but there is a tendency towards カタカナ words as a cultural preference? Perhaps the Japanese language seeks to embrace foreign ideas in order that they may be recreated within a Japanese context? But then I ran into ムービー (movie), an instance where I know えいが would suffice as a perfectly normal native word.

     If I have discovered anything through this investigation, it is that I have a ways to go before I can begin grasping the intricacies of both Japanese language and culture.

じゃあ、また

カイパー

Sources:

DarkSouls III Official Site

Famitsu

Asahi

Niconico

Binardさんのlecture: すげい！

     As an English major, and simply as a lover of language and literature, the events held for Arthur Binardさん this past week were very engaging. His “Nuclear Poetry and Atomic Fireballs” lecture was perhaps a little scattered, as I sometimes, I felt like Binardさん was meandering through thoughts without much direction. But I greatly connected with his analysis of the language we use in describing nuclear warfare. I once read a book called Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa and Alan R. Hayakawa. 

In the book, there is a discussion of how we use “signs,” words, to represent the “signified,” or the meanings of words—what they represent. But sometimes, the “signs” we use can come to control how we interpret the “signified.” Our means of expressing thought can alter the way we think. Such an idea is incredibly fascinating to me. And I could not help but consider the Hayakawas' work as Binardさん contrasted “mushroom-cloud” and “ピッカ (pikka),” regarding how the words engender different feelings in the speaker's mind, consciously or otherwise. The difference in perspective of a blooming column of cloud from a high altitude versus a bright, encompassing flash is huge. I found Binardさん's illustration of our society's mental distance from nuclear war through our very language insightful.

     As a necessary note, the よみきかせ was also a very enjoyable event. Binardさん was very funny and I loved listening to him speak on his thought process while translating, such as with his translation of The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse. His experiences from working in Japan have made me all the more interested in translation work.

     Alright, that's me for now.

じゃあ、また。

カイパー

Language Immersion Tool: The Let's Play (実況プレイ)

こんばんわ！

With some free reign on this post, I thought I would take some time to discuss a language immersion tool I stumbled quite recently: the "Let's Play".

For those who do not know, a "Let's Play" is the common designation given to a video series wherein someone plays a game. That's it. A "Let's Play" video is literally a video of someone playing a game. Please, hold your dismay until I finish.

The Friendzone- a Polaris show on YouTube

Most "Let's Plays" are watched, I think, for the personalities behind the microphone, not to vicariously experience a game through another person. Sometimes the latter is the case, but rarely. Nothing compares to playing a game yourself. But there are people out in the world who are just fun, humorous to listen to and even endearing. Think of "Let's Plays" as akin to talk-shows, but with B-reel footage of random videogames. One of my favorite "Let's Players" is Jesse Cox, a very funny man who just loves people and games and likes to entertain.

Why is any of this relevant? Because in a "Let's Play," the videomaker is talking as much as they're playing the game (in most cases). What does this mean for a language student? That a "Let's Play" video is a pretty adequate way to listen to a native speaker of the language you're trying to learn. If you find the right person making a "Let's Play," you can access a whole list of videos, each with plenty of regular, everyday speech to listen to. As an aid, the "Let's Play" seems like a great way to get some more exposure to a language, especially if you enjoy gaming. Common syntax, pronunciation, particle usage--these are the elements of language you can pick up on. While "Let's Plays" are not a magical boost for comprehension, I do think they present a fun way to get in some extra exposure.

Currently, I've found this energetic guy by the name of だいだら. Check him out!  He doesn't talk terribly fast, so I find that sometimes I can pick up words and particles. だいだら plays a lot of Nintendo games, but also a fair amount of other Japanese-developed titles and some Western creations.

Splatoon- a Nintendo game that is popular for "Let's Plays"

I got the idea from two sites:
An article on "Talk Amongst Yourselves" of Kotaku

A post on the "Learn Japanese" subreddit


Alright, that's me for now.
ありがとう　ございます。　
じゃあ、　また。

カイパー

ぼくのまいにちのせいかつ

こんいちは！　それは　ぼくのまいにちのせいかつ　です。

ぼくは　まいにち　ごぜん　はちじに　おきます。　いつも　コーヒーを　のみます。　あさ　オーシャグで　にほんごのじゅぎょうに　いきます。　ひる　ぶんがくのじゅぎょうに　いきます。　そして、　にほんのれきしのじゅぎょうにも　いきます。　よく　がくしょくで　しちじに　ばんごはんを　たべます。　つぎ、　りょうで　べんきょうします。　たいてい　ごぜん　じゅうにじに　はなしを　かきます。　いちじに　ねます。

<3 にちじょう <3

ありがとう　ございます。　じゃあ、　また。

カイパー

じこしょうかい For Two

こんばんわ！はじめまして。

ぼくわ　カイパーです。アメリカジンです。ノタルダメの　だいがくの　にねんせいです。ぼくの　せんこうわ　えいご　と　にほんごですよ。

どうぞ　よろしく。

　And now that I have given my じこしょうかい, I would like to introduce an individual from Japan that I greatly admire: ひでたか　みやざき (or, per Japanese custom, みやざき　ひでたか).

みやざきさま <3

　みやざきさま is known as the creative director—and now President—at FromSoftware, a Japanese game studio that may be called both popular and infamous in the gaming world. FromSoftware is the company responsible for the Souls series—composed of Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, and the soon-to-be-released Dark Souls III. Why both popular and infamous? The games in the Souls franchise are widely recognized as some of the most challenging games to be released in the past ten or so years. The games combine scarce checkpoints for saving progress with tactical combat and harsh boss fights to ensure that every death is both punishing and encouraging—they are designed in a way so that you can pick yourself up, brush the dust from your shoulders, and jump once more into the breach. Death is a learning experience, not a failure. Really, I think FromSoftware and みやざきさま present some valuable lessons for real life.

　But while I enjoy the combat of the FromSoftware games, and exploring the worlds they create, finding secret passages and marveling at fantastical vistas, there is one element that I enjoy above all else: FromSoftware's and みやざきさま's unique approach to storytelling.

    In an interview with IGN, “Inside the Mind of Bloodborne and Dark Souls' Creator,” みやざきさま offers some insight into his creative approach to games. As a child, みやざきさま loved to read. However, being young, he could not often pick up on all the threads of the story he was reading. Without half the story, みやざきさま says, “my imagination would help fill in the other half, and that imagination element would just blow up.”

　As a huge fan of Bloodborne, the latest FromSoftware game, I can attest to such an idea of vague, half-known narratives. みやざきさま　envisioned a rich, grotesque, horrific world, but does not reveal the world fully to players. The effect is like walking through an art museum where someone has set up fog machines. You can guess at the subjects of hazy paintings and jump at looming sculptures, but you never know exactly how everything looks. And while some may call this “lazy” storytelling, I applaud it. I feel like a true participant in Bloodborne's world as I piece together its history.

　And thus, みやざきさま. A creative mind that deserves all the success he has received.

じゃあ、また。

カイパー

*link to the IGN interview: “Inside the Mind of Bloodborne and Dark Souls' Creator – IGN First”

Introductions: じこしょかい

こんばんわ。

カイパー　です。どうぞ　よろしく。

     Why I have chosen to study Japanese is not an entirely straightforward discussion. So many varied factors feed my desire to learn the language, and I would be remiss no to try and touch on each of them as best I can.

     I love language. I am primarily an English major, after all. And modes of expression excite me just as much as what is expressed. Languages are tools, but they are also art forms. English as a language has its own qualities that enable writers to create engaging novels or thought-provoking poetry. But other languages are no different. What I find exciting about other languages is that their systems of grammar, sentence structure, and even the very sounds that compose them can be used in creative ways to create expressive works. A fantastic example is wordplay. What may be humorous wordplay in a Japanese novel does not translate easily into English, and vice versa.

     Of course, I have other inspirations for choosing Japanese as a language, specifically. The おたくculture in Japan has always been of interest to me, ever since I started watching the anime Inuyasha in elementary school with my mom. I have become attached to other anime since, like Cowboy Bebop (カウボーイ　ビバップ), Samurai Champloo, The Tatami Galaxy, and Attack on Titan. And I cannot ignore the significance of Studio Ghibli's films. Movies like Spirited Away and The Tale of Princess Kaguya have impacted me greatly, from their beautiful animation to their emotional resonance.

     Yet my appreciation for ideas grown in Japan has expanded beyond animation. Haruki Murakami is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I especially love his novel Norwegian Wood. His works were some of my first looks at Japanese society in a more normal, modern context. Additionally, there are a number of musicians out of Japan that I adore and listen to regularly, not the least of which being the late Nujabes (R.I.P) and Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

   

  Then there are games. Games are a medium of expression I connect strongly with, and have done so ever since I was a child. And it is popular knowledge that Japan is a major presence in the culture of gaming. Nintendo, Sony, Capcom, and many other big industry players have their origin in Japan. Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise occupies a special place in my heart (and, as I have found out, much of Japan's). From Software's Dark Souls and Bloodborne series of games have challenged me not only with game difficulty but with how I receive and interpret storytelling through interactive fiction.

     So, in a sense, I have connected with Japan in many ways before ever beginning the process of learning Japanese. However, this connection is not as true as it could be. I think to really appreciate the creations that come from Japan, I need to know the people first and foremost. What better way to begin seeing through the eyes of Japan's inhabitants than to learn Japanese? We are all called to certain vocations in our lives. And while I am not certain what shape my future is taking, I do know that I want to connect with people, to understand them and learn from them. The nation of Japan is one that has given me much joy, many memories, and great experiences. But I want to know more, and to feel more. I want to connect with new people in new ways. Hopefully I am on the right path.

じゃあ、また。　ありがとうございます。

カイパー