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+--- Thread: Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs (/thread-6049.html)
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - vileru - 2010-09-23
I've noticed that when writing online, especially blogs and emails, Japanese people tend to start new lines after sentences (i.e. hit the "enter" button). I'd like to find out how to naturally employ this style and the reasons for using it. To show you what I'm talking about, here's an example from the blog of Darvish Yu (ダルビッシュ有):
Darvish Yu's blog Wrote:明日。Clearly, after each sentence, there's a bunch of blank lines. However, the habit of adding several blank lines is not universal. Here's another example from Uehara Hiromi's (上原ひろみ) blog:
オリックス戦(札幌Ｄ 18:00)に先発します。
勝負所の４連戦の頭を任されたんで、
気持ちを込めて投げます。
絶対勝つ。
ねじ伏せるくらいの気持ちで行きます。
応援よろしくお願いします。
Uehara Hiromi's blog Wrote:５日目。In the case of Hiromi's blog post, she begins each sentence with new lines, but avoids several blank lines. As I understand, the single white line is to mark off a new paragraph.
連投の続く高校球児のよう。
要は、気合いあるのみ。
最高の瞬間を求めて。
ブルーノートの前の行列。
ありがたいです。
At any rate, any advice on how to use such a style and any explanations as to why it's used will be much appreciated.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - ryuukohito - 2010-09-30
I don't know whether you're being satirical or you're honestly inquiring, but I find the above post to be so funny.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - Javizy - 2010-09-30
Apparently it became popular with 携帯メール to get people to scroll down for the "suspense" it created, and now isn't uncommon on blogs, twitter etc. It's probably not something you want to use if you're not a 16-year-old ギャル though...
Lots of people (who are capable of forming paragraphs) seem to insert line breaks themselves though. I heard this was because of encoding issues, but I'm not sure if that's still true or ever was. It seems to be well suited to Japanese though.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - Aijin - 2010-09-30
Yep, that style of writing became popularized by cellphones and computers. It's done for suspense as well as to make it appear easier to read. Block paragraphs tend to instantly turn lazy readers off, so many people write like that to make it look less threatening/simpler to read.
Like Javizy said though, it's not very professional and kinda' makes one's writing style look like a teenage girl's with ADHD. It's more convenient when using a cellphone screen though, I'll admit.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - vileru - 2010-09-30
If the style is meant for teenage girls, then why in the world is Darvish Yu using it?! Isn't he supposed to be the epitome of manliness or something? Both men and women alike constantly exclaim 「かっこいい！」 any moment his image emerges into view. Maybe I'm missing some hidden cultural assumption that places high value on men who get in touch with their feminine side while writing, but somehow I doubt this. I have the feeling that there's an exception for men when it comes to writing personal blogs and emails.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - Javizy - 2010-09-30
vileru Wrote:If the style is meant for teenage girls, then why in the world is Darvish Yu using it?! Isn't he supposed to be the epitome of manliness or something? Both men and women alike constantly exclaim 「かっこいい！」 any moment his image emerges into view. Maybe I'm missing some hidden cultural assumption that places high value on men who get in touch with their feminine side while writing, but somehow I doubt this. I have the feeling that there's an exception for men when it comes to writing personal blogs and emails.It's not specific to them, it's just typical of them. It's typical of (as far as my imagination goes) teenage American girls to say 'like' 10 times in a sentence. There are plenty of adults who use a similar speaking style, and it doesn't necessarily make them girly. The difference is that one group is teenagers, and the other is adults unable to speak more eloquently than teenagers, i.e. idiots.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - Asriel - 2010-09-30
Javizy Wrote:... and the other is adults unable to speak more eloquently than teenagers, i.e. idiots.Well that's just, like, you're opinion, man.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - Javizy - 2010-09-30
Asriel Wrote:I use 'like' quite often, as well as lots of other not-so-eloquent bits of language, but there are degrees to this sort of thing. I'm not trying to make any sort of statement about speaking styles though. I was just trying to say that Darvish Yu probably isn't a good source for written Japanese, like I'm sure Paris Hilton isn't for English learners.Javizy Wrote:... and the other is adults unable to speak more eloquently than teenagers, i.e. idiots.Well that's just, like, you're opinion, man.
Disclaimer: I've never heard of Darvish Yu.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - vileru - 2010-09-30
Javizy Wrote:What about the other blog I quoted? It's written by Uehara Hiromi, who is an internationally famous jazz pianist and graduated from the acclaimed Berklee College of Music. I seriously doubt that the language abilities of a prominent jazz musician educated at one of the top music schools would be comparable to Paris Hilton.Asriel Wrote:I was just trying to say that Darvish Yu probably isn't a good source for written Japanese, like I'm sure Paris Hilton isn't for English learners.Javizy Wrote:... and the other is adults unable to speak more eloquently than teenagers, i.e. idiots.Well that's just, like, you're opinion, man.
Who then should I look to for guidance on how to write engaging, yet mature blogs and emails? How about Kawakami Hiromi (川上弘美), winner of the 1996 Akutagawa Prize (i.e. the most prestigious literary prize in Japan). What?! Are you serious?! Her blog uses the same formatting style as well! Oh well, I suppose I must be left with the disappointing conclusion that even prize winning novelists write like Paris Hilton. I'm sorry for the sarcasm, but I haven't yet been convinced that this style of formatting blogs and emails is just for 14 year-old girls.
Javizy Wrote:Disclaimer: I've never heard of Darvish Yu.You're lucky. I've heard enough about him to write a fifty-page report. Anyway, starting pitcher, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Turn on a TV in Japan, and you will see Darvish Yu. It's impossible to avoid images of him or conversations about him.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - ropsta - 2010-09-30
Used to post like this at a piano forum.
Couple of members complained, one day.
Needless to say....
...
...
...
...
..
....
...
...
...
..
Was banned
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - start_three - 2010-09-30
Plenty of hits in google for "ブログ 書き方 改行", let us know what you find out
...including this gem for learners of English.
I wondered for years what the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were
doing fighting ham.
I was searching for bacon (Ha!) in the fridges once.
It was only then I realised what Nippon Ham was...
...
True story.
:/
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - chamois - 2010-10-01
Asriel Wrote:Asriel, you win.Javizy Wrote:... and the other is adults unable to speak more eloquently than teenagers, i.e. idiots.Well that's just, like, you're opinion, man.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - Sebastian - 2010-10-01
vileru Wrote:Oh well, I suppose I must be left with the disappointing conclusion that even prize winning novelists write like Paris Hilton.Wait!
You mean that Paris Hilton hasn't won any literary awards?! :o
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - Javizy - 2010-10-01
vileru Wrote:Oh well, I suppose I must be left with the disappointing conclusion that even prize winning novelists write like Paris Hilton.I was likening Darvish Yu to Paris Hilton, not Uehara Hiromi, who inserts line breaks after sentences and forms them into paragraphs, like acclaimed writers Haruki Murakami and Usuta Kyousuke
. Maybe it's my fault for not being clear about which style I was describing. If you've seen enough people using it and want to try it out yourself, why not give it a go?
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - Aijin - 2010-10-02
vileru Wrote:This isn't specific to your reply, I just want to address a fallicy that I often hear and find rather harmful: prestige is not a correlation, let alone a causation, of intellect. The Akutagawa Prize is very prestigious, yes, but having personally read nearly every novel that has won the award I can tell you that the vast majority of the writers do not express anything all that enlightening or intelligent. 蛇を踏む contains simplistic ideas, vocabulary, and I can't remember anything in that novel that would indicate the writer is above average in complexity of ideas or thought from any humanities specialist.Javizy Wrote:What about the other blog I quoted? It's written by Uehara Hiromi, who is an internationally famous jazz pianist and graduated from the acclaimed Berklee College of Music. I seriously doubt that the language abilities of a prominent jazz musician educated at one of the top music schools would be comparable to Paris Hilton.Asriel Wrote:Well that's just, like, you're opinion, man.I was just trying to say that Darvish Yu probably isn't a good source for written Japanese, like I'm sure Paris Hilton isn't for English learners.
Who then should I look to for guidance on how to write engaging, yet mature blogs and emails? How about Kawakami Hiromi (川上弘美), winner of the 1996 Akutagawa Prize (i.e. the most prestigious literary prize in Japan). What?! Are you serious?! Her blog uses the same formatting style as well! Oh well, I suppose I must be left with the disappointing conclusion that even prize winning novelists write like Paris Hilton. I'm sorry for the sarcasm, but I haven't yet been convinced that this style of formatting blogs and emails is just for 14 year-old girls.
And while Berklee College of Music is a wonderful university, I don't exactly see a relationship between musicianship and linguistic abilities. I've met many absolutely brilliant musicians in my life, and while they might be able to draw poetry from an instrument, their tongues were rarely so eloquent.
In addition, all one has to do is wander around the campus of any "world's top university" and they will hear plenty of students talking like airheaded teenagers. If you heard these people in any other environment you might assume they were still in high school with a 2.0 gpa.
Anyways, back on topic! When I first responded to this thread I somehow combined it with the thread on "speaking eloquently in Japanese" in my mind, thus why I originally said it makes one sould like a teenage girl, if one is using professional writing/eloquency as the standard of comparison.
Yes, such formatting is commonplace on the Internet, mostly for the reasons I explained previously: of it having a wider apeal to more readers due to being less threatening, and being easier on the eyes. And for writing online for general things like that, that's perfectly fine.
However, it depends entirely upon the content the author is expressing. Blogs and emails are for the most part casual material and entertainment (the general public is the audience), which in general are going to express simplistic ideas, and benefit from the pros of this style of writing. For more professional, complex writing though, even if it takes place on the internet, more formatted, cohesive paragraphs are the preferred and beneficial style. For example, while an author's personal blog might be formatted that way, a literary blog that is designed not for the general public, but for literary professors and experts in the field, will be written more professionally. If one is typing complex paragraphs about singular ideas, breaking it up disrupts the flow of the arguments, and creates less organized writing, just like if writing a thesis paper or any standard academic writing would never employ that technique.
Writing online in Japanese, especially emails and blogs - vileru - 2010-10-02
Thank you for the helpful reply, Aijin. I feel like I have a more specific understanding of the style and the contexts in which it's appropriate.
On a separate note, of course I'm aware of the fallacy that you cited. However, I still find it reasonable in certain cases to expect a certain level of intellect from whomever is in question. When I read an article in a prestigious peer-reviewed journal, I expect the average article to be on a higher intellectual level than the typical undergraduate journal. Likewise, I expect the average university graduate to exhibit greater intellectual development than a high school dropout. Even music majors should not be exempt from this qualification since, as far as I know, they're required to write conceptually-driven papers discussing various theories, techniques, and styles. By the same token, I would expect a group of prize-winning novelist to stand taller in comparison to a high school literary club. Certainly, there will be cases in which this sort of expectation fails, but I think it functions as a useful heuristic in general.
On a literary note, why does the intelligence or enlightening nature of an author's work take precedence over something else, such as the reader's reaction to the text? One short story that comes to mind is George Bataille's "Story of the Eye". If you haven't read it, it's about a couple who commit various acts of violence of a most horrific nature and who share morbid sexual encounters involving animals, decapitations, and other gruesome features. By traditional measures of intelligence, this short story would be considered something fit for savages. However, a common reaction of readers is an unusual feeling of horrified empathy. The story is written like a love story, albeit a twisted and repulsive one. Of course, the reader is left in a very uncomfortable state. How could one empathize with such loathsome characters? While I think the state that this novel naturally leads to is especially enlightening, I question whether this is the sort of "enlightenment" you're talking about.
Anyway, I suppose the point that I'm developing is that there's more to literature than the intelligence and enlightenment that it offers. In the case I just mentioned, one example is the raw experience that the reader gains through the text. Literature can transport one to new worlds. Even ignoring any intellectual insights that can be gained from a text, simply experiencing the worlds that a text presents is rewarding enough.