I found something interesting when I was studying onomatopoeia (onomatopoeia / mimetic word) in the last blog, so today it is about that.

First of all, once again about the definition of each of the onomatopoeia and mimetic words.

onomatopoeic word

Onomatopoeias are imitated sounds of things by lexical phrases. Even the same language varies from age. For example, dogs’ barks are expressed as “biyo” by Kyogen etc. It is relatively common to be written in katakana (sometimes referred to as onomatopoeia but now onomatopoeia is more common. There is also a position that calls a word simulating the voice of humans and animals of lower class of onomatopoeia as a onomatopoeia). The boundary between onomatopoeias and mimetic words is sometimes not clear. For example, “zazaza” in “bathed in water” is a sound that is leaning against the body, even if water represents an endless amount of water falling down, it is decided whether it is an onomatopoeic word or a mimetic word Hateful.

(from JapaneseWikipedia)

As an English learner, when I learn English or when I talk to foreigners, I feel lost in translation (it is impossible to transfer the whole culture correctly perfectly, something always is lost). After all, there are limits to words, and it is hard to convey to the context that this word after understanding the background deeply is hard to convey.

Today is about the word “Culture” I often use.

Culture (in Japanese)
Sometimes it means human intellectual refinement and spiritual progress and its outcome, in particular products of art and literature, but today it is wider, including the behavioral styles and material aspects shared by members of a society It often refers to a lifestyle. The culture defined in this way consists of languages, thoughts, beliefs, customs, taboos, laws, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, rituals and so on.
(Britannica International Encyclopedia of Encyclopedia)

After writing Hawaii Island -Language- blog, I often think about languages. Today is about “Hello” in various languages.

Please find common points from the following “Hello” in various languages.

Japanese: Konnichiwa

Ryukyuan: Haisai

Chinese: Nǐhǎo

Korean: Annyeonghaseyo

Thai: Sàwàtdee kah/Sàwàtdee krap

There is a letterpress printing studio that I go there often several years ago.This time I went to the workshop “Arabic typography card workshop” held there.

I am interested in the language Arabic, also my name in Arabic on my business card workshop! It was very exciting one for a printing & language & design & culture lovers.

Initially I had a lecture on Arabic culture and letters, just listened to the food, customs, culture, religion, languages, etc. It sounded very exotic. The teacher who gave a lecture can speak Arabic, and sounded the language extend the endings so that was also exotic.

What I was interested in Arabic is that letter (shape of) and sound. By the way, three of the languages ​​I’m interested in now (sound version) are below.

– Hawaiian
– Hebrow
– Arabic

A few years ago I knew Mr. Teiichi Sato at the contemporary art school event. He operates a seedling shop (Sato Seed Shop) at Rikuzentakata-city in Iwate prefecture, Japan and who is victim of the East Japan great earthquake tsunami, and he recorded the first edition of the disaster issued on March 11, 2012. The title is ”The Seed of Hope in the Heart”, it is written in English. Despite being not good at English, the reason why he wrote it in English was too hard to record it in Japanese (mother language). He said that he wanted to put a little distance between heart and word. Mr. Sato thought that it should tell the fact and he wanted to tell that in his own words. The English version is now 5 version (as of 2017), and he records it in Chinese and Spanish as well because he wanted to tell his thanks to people who gave huge supports in those whose own languages.

I was very impressed by his action “Leaving the facts and tell” and “Writing in English (other language)”. I respect for his sense of mission that telling the fact, and I’m touched by the honesty of writing in English because it is too sad write it in Japanese, also I sympathized for his choice.

I was in Tokyo at the earthquake, even in Tokyo I was panicked by an unprecedented disaster and I remember the fear of death. After that, there were opportunities to go to Tohoku several times and there were times when we talked with the victims. I felt the strength of the core that they take the facts and go live, and the kindness who had various experiences from people in Tohoku. I have never met Mr. Sato directly, but I feel his personality through the movie (Mr. Sato’s activity was also a movie “Traces of Breath“).

Hawaii Island – Breakfast –
Hawaii Island – Climate –
Hawaii Island – Living Things –
Hawaii Island – Dolphins –
Hawaii Island – People –

I wrote the above blogs in series about my travel to Hawaii Island, today is the last one. It is about “Language”.

I often hear “Aloha!” and “Mahalo” at my hotel, restaurant or shops and the announcement on the plane of Hawaii Airlines. Here are worlds that I have known before I visit to Hawaii; Hawaii, Oahu, Waikiki, Aloha, Mahalo, Mana, Ohana, Kauai, Hula, Lei, Loco, Mahi-mahi, Ukulele. I only thought about they sound pretty, so I learned about it by this trip.

– The vowels are five: a, e, i, o, u
– The consonants are seven: h, k, l, m, n, p, w
– Symbol indicating stuttering called ʻokina : ” ‘ ”
– Symbol emphasize sound and pronounce it slightly longer called kahakō: ” ¯ ”

*The meaning becomes different if it’s with ʻokina or kahakō
ono → fish name
‘ono → yummy

kau → put
kāu → your

“MORNING RELAY”  – Shuntaro Tanikawa
While a young man in Kamchatka
Dreams of a giraffe
A young girl in Mexico
Waits for the bus in the morning haze
While a little girl in New York
Rolls over in her bed with a smile
A little boy in Rome
Winks at the morning sun that colors the column capital
On this Earth
Always, somewhere, morning is starting
We are relaying mornings
From longitude to longitude
Taking turns protecting Earth, as it were
Pick up your ears awhile before you go to sleep
And somewhere, far away, you’ll hear an alarm clock ringing
It’s proof that someone has firmly caught
The morning you’ve passed on

This is a famous Japanese poet Shuntaro Tanikawa’s poetry.