Opinion

Katakana clangers

By Juliet Hindell

The terrible events that took place in New York and Washington a few weeks ago set me thinking about a huge range of issues. An unexpected one was the use of katakana English words in current Japanese.

The omnipresence of the word "terro" made me reach for my dictionary to check whether there even was a Japanese word for terrorism — there is, but my friends tell me most Japanese wouldn't understand it these days. They are so used to "terro."

It made me realize that Japanese people may think that many of the English words, which are used in katakana, are exactly the same in meaning as the original, whereas in reality many are not.

If you said to a native English speaker, "It's awful about all these `terro' attacks," you would not be understood. You may think it's obvious that "terro" is a bastardization of English, but consider whether some of the other katakana words which you use everyday in Japanese are real English.

Here are just a few words which might trip you up. "Skinship" is something we hear that is very important between mother and child, and Japanese speakers understand that it means physical contact. But to native English speakers it has a rather insalubrious ring, it sounds like something which probably happens in a katakana place, a "pink saron." Neither "skinship" nor "pink saron" exist as words in English.

Another katakana clanger is "claim." It means "complain" in Japanese but in English it concerns seeking something you believe you are entitled to. "Smart" in Japlish means slim, but in American English it means brainy and in British English elegant.

"Naive," meanwhile, means delicate, sensitive and thoughtful in Japanese and is a positive word. In English, however, naive indicates a person who is so innocent of the world that they make stupid mistakes and its use is usually negative.

"Freeta" is apparently what many young Japanese aspire to becoming these days, but it's not a job description in English. The correct term would be freelance. Freeta sounds more like a fritter, something deep-fried in batter.

Of course, it's fine that Japanese borrows promiscuously from foreign languages. All languages evolve and change with time. But katakana English is more of a foe than a friend when it comes to studying English.

Help may be at hand, as Honolulu University Professor Michihiro Matsumoto is currently compiling a book on the subject, which will make fascinating reading. I suggest that students of English check the real meaning of words they are accustomed to using in everyday Japanese conversation before they use them in English.

Some of my favorite katakana-isms are where words from two languages are mixed together, such as "choux cream." "Choux" is French and "cream" is English. A casual listener who knew no Japanese might be confused as to why Japanese people were ordering "choux cream" for tea in a cafe. Just listen to the sounds — it is the same pronunciation as "shoe cream," something I, for one, would rather not eat but find useful when polishing my footwear.

Speak katakana in English at your peril.

Shukan ST: Oct. 12, 2001

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