Authors: “Laurence,” Madi Collins, Cooper Lee, Nicholas Olenich

https://www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp/projects/ys-eyewear/

https://www.beams.co.jp/item/demiluxebeams/fashiongoods/64670078683/?color=12

Intro

For this project, we compared two Japanese eyewear brands with a focus on the word choice within their webpages. After brainstorming various ideas, we decided to analyze the websites of the brands Beams and Yohji Yamamoto. Initially looking at the Beams website, it seemed to contain a lot more Sino-Japanese and Native Japanese words, and also seemed to be marketed towards a purely Japanese audience. Yohji Yamamoto, on the other hand, is an international designer, and that website seems to be directed towards a more global audience, with a heavy usage of English and foreign loanwords. 

Background

 The Native Japanese category (wago) typically includes words common to everyday life. Action verbs related to clothing, accessories, and appearances (for example: 染める, to dye or color) have existed in Japanese since before the arrival of Chinese vocabulary. Additionally, they account for many simple adjectives (大きい, big) and nouns (色, color). A text written largely in Native Japanese paints an image of itself as accessible to all ages and types of people. This category of words makes up a large portion of the verbs in both of the analyzed texts. 

Words of the Sino-Japanese category (kango) typically represent more complex or abstract ideas than Native Japanese words. In both texts, Sino-Japanese nouns outnumber Native Japanese ones. Words like 原産国 (goods’ country of origin) exemplify this idea. A text written largely in Sino-Japanese appears specialized, adult-oriented, and even high-status due to the complexity of the ideas it communicates as well as the education necessary to read and understand all of the kanji it uses. 

Foreign loanwords (gairaigo) include concepts and manners of reference that were introduced to Japan by other countries–essentially, words originally used in other languages. For example, レンズ (lens), as in fitted lenses for glasses, is not a word native to Japan, but was borrowed from English. Often for stylistic and aesthetic reasons, brands choose to use loanwords even when those loanwords have native Japanese equivalents. The use of シェイプ (shape) instead of 形 (かたち, shape) exemplify this idea. Brands that wish to project a certain image tend to choose loanwords over their Native Japanese counterparts to evoke feelings of coolness, trendiness, and modernity. 

Process 

Our group started by dividing each of the two texts equally so that we each had one of four equal parts. We began by analyzing both the website’s text and then categorizing each word into Native Japanese, Sino Japanese, foreign loan words and English. Using the data we collected, our group created a table for each text, and then put together corresponding pie charts. We also discussed the nuances we felt were associated with each script near the beginning of the project, basing our projections on our group and in-class discussions, and came to the following conclusions.

Analysis

Using pie charts to display the ratios of these different categories of words, we found it much easier to compare the two texts. Prior to our analysis, we had anticipated that since Yohji Yamamoto was specifically a designer name brand, it would be marketed towards a more global audience, whereas Beams seemed more for a domestic audience due to the amount of Sino-Japanese found on their main page. Looking at the pie charts, it appears that both brands use relatively high proportions of loanwords and relatively low proportions of Native Japanese words. However, the higher amounts of Sino-Japanese words used by Beams emphasize an important distinction: While Yohji Yamamoto fully commits to projecting a unique, modern, and international image, Beams instead chooses to balance trendy katakana loanwords with high-class, familiar kango. 

A glance at the vocabulary breakdown shows that both Beams and Yohji Yamamoto use a relatively low amount of native Japanese words in the descriptions of their high-end glasses–37% and 38%, respectively. The main difference between the sites lies in the use of foreign loanwords (25% vs 33%) and Sino-Japanese words (34% vs 25%). 

Within the Yohji Yamamoto data, one can see that mostly native Japanese words (54) and foreign loanwords (47) were used, with the amount of Sino-Japanese words (35) falling a bit farther below these two. As we have discussed in class, Native Japanese words cover a lot of daily life vocabulary, and this can be seen in this passage with words such as  「つくられる」(to be made),「着ること」(to wear), and 「できる」(to do (potential)). These words are the kinds of words that would be used in everyday life, and because of this, they haven’t been replaced with any Sino-Japanese words or foreign loanwords, as there is no particular advantage to a brand in doing so. Their presence in this passage does not carry too much hermeneutic meaning, though the usage of native Japanese words suggests that the idea that these glasses may be suited well for a variety of people and of lifestyles. 

The presence of a large amount of foreign loanwords, however, offers more hermeneutic meaning to the reader. We have discussed in class and read about how foreign loanwords often create this idea of a product or idea seeming more ‘classy’ or ‘cool.’ Foreign loanwords do not carry the same connotative meaning to the Japanese consumer as they might to native speakers of the languages from which they come. Instead, they translate into vaguely desirable images and aesthetics of foreign cultures and modernity. The Yohji Yamamoto webpage for these glasses uses many foreign loanwords, enticing potential buyers with images of luxury, strength, and fashionability by association. This portrayal of luxury through loanwords can be seen through the usage of words such as 「カッティング」(cutting), and 「アイデンティティ」(identity). Words for these ideas also exist in the Japanese language in other forms, and complex subjects like identity, especially, are overwhelmingly written in Sino-Japanese, so why use loanwords? The use of these foreign words creates a more desirable image for the glasses, making the glasses seem cooler and more interesting. The use of a loanword for a concept usually written in Sino-Japanese gives depth as well as a ring of progressivity to the image, heightening the modern feel. Both Yohji Yamamoto and Beams heavily embellish their product descriptions with foreign loanwords, informing the reader of their product’s high-quality manufacturing and style. Both sites use the loanword チタン, meaning titanium, multiple times, and in combination loanwords such as「ベータチタン」(beta titanium). Another reason these loanwords appear is to communicate that both companies’ glasses are fashionable and modern. Adjectives like ラウンド (round) in Yohji Yamamoto and ピュア (pure) in Beams demonstrate a preference for loanword adjectives over native ones, even when native words have the same meaning (丸い and 純粋). From the heavier usage of loanwords on the Yohji Yamamoto site, then, one could determine that these glasses are geared towards an audience that may consider themselves more ‘high-class,’ or more internationally cultured. 

In looking at the breakdown of vocabulary types between the webpages of Beams and Yohji Yamamoto, there is one point which may skew the data: our analysis of the Yohji Yamamoto page stopped at the description of the third model of glasses (G03). However, the rest of the page contains even more loanword-heavy descriptions that would inflate the loanword count. The katakana-filled page practically screams, “This is a high-class and international brand.” The heavy use of loanwords may also increase the possibility of drawing in more foreign buyers, as there may be more recognizable words at first glance and less of the all-intimidating kanji, and the website as a whole also contains a bit more English than BEAMS. Overall, the heavier usage of foreign loanwords in this passage contributes to an idea of classier, modern, high-value glasses.

Something that Beams displays on their page that Yohji Yamamoto does not is information on BLANC, the specific brand of glasses, in addition to a product description of the glasses themselves. BLANC’s description contains many Sino-Japanese words, portraying it as a high-class brand with relatively more focus on tradition and relatively less focus on modernity. Altogether, the Beams page then says, “this is a trendy and fashionable product from a refined and high-status designer.” Also within the Beams passage, the word megane (glasses) was written in katakana メガネ rather than the common hiragana めがね or kanji 眼鏡. The word is close to the bottom of the webpage, under the technical details for the glasses: 「カテゴリ│ファッション雑貨 ＞ メガネ」, or in English: ”category │ fashion miscellaneous goods > glasses.” The word megane does not even appear in the Yohji Yamamoto description, however, giving the idea that Beams is to some extent willing to modernize and romanticize the idea of the mundane megane through foreign loanword typesetting, where Yohji Yamamoto is not. Beams is willing to take the mundane image of “glasses” and beautify it with the magic of foreign association to create a sellable product. Yohji Yamamoto, on the other hand, won’t even touch the mundane, and sticks to foreign loan descriptors to create a sleek and modern image. Yohji Yamamoto has no need for technical categorizations, whether masked with foreign beautification or not–the goal of the Yohji Yamamoto brand is to distinguish its product by going against, and even subverting, the norms for that product. In essence, the use of the word megane in katakana (メガネ) may seem like a small detail, but brings into focus the difference in class between a consumer-level brand like Beams and a truly high-fashion brand like Yohji Yamamoto.

Conclusion

Overall, the usage of language is surprisingly similar between the two websites. The subtle differences, however, do shine through in the careful use of different forms of language. Where Beams markets toward domestic consumers, Yohji Yamamoto seeks international attention. Both Beams and Yohji Yamamoto display a high-class feeling within their websites, but a close look at word choice highlights Yohji Yamamoto’s international interests in contrast with Beams’s domestic orientation.

Introduction

In this project, the group members consisted of Jamie Arpan, Seiji Furukawa, Janely Beccera, and Charlotte Cao.

For this project, two websites were analyzed for incidence of native Japanese (NJ), Sino-Japanese (SJ), and English loan words, across nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The websites analyzed were: Muji’s site for a 2-layer futon; and the Apple watch series 6 website. 

Methodology

Text was copied from the websites, after which all nouns, verbs, and adjectives were designated as ENG, SJ, NJ, or a mix (EX: SJ-NJ). This information was then entered into a spreadsheet, sorting each word by its part of speech (noun, verb, adjective), word type (ENG, SJ, NJ, mix). The distribution of ENG-SJ-NJ, as well as the individual distributions for each part of speech by word type (EX: ENG-SJ-NJ incidence for nouns) were visualized as pie charts.

Within the group, the two websites were split up with Jamie and Seiji focused on the Muji futon, while Janely and Charlotte focused on the Apple watch. Likewise, each group did the designation, sorting, and distribution for their own website.

Analysis and Discussion

Muji: The Down Feather Futon

The muji website has a low incidence of English loan words, with NJ making up roughly 50% and SJ comprising around 40%. In stark contrast, English loan word incidence sits at only 7.5%, and all of these English loan words were nouns. This is likely the result of content words being more readily borrowed than other parts of speech. Additionally, 50 words from the analyzed set were written in hiragana. While this is standard for NJ verbs like ある, it is less standard for SJ. Specifically, the SJ word ふとん (futon) was most frequently written with hiragana (9 times) rather than kanji (twice). Both of these instances of kanji occurred when futon was used in the compound noun 羽毛布団 (down feather futon).

Based on the high incidence of NJ and SJ words, the target audience for this product is probably first time buyer adults or individuals who are purchasing another futon after years of use. It should also be noted that futon is a native japanese product, which would partially explain the low incidence of English loan words. This may also influence Muji’s marketing, as the individuals looking to purchase a futon are not all the same people who might consider purchasing a western mattress. In so far as Muji is catering to older customers, members of the older generation might be put off if they employed excess foreign loan words in their marketing materials. Muji also has an image to uphold, as Japanese company producing a Japanese product. They have little reason to utilize foreign loanwords except in the case that an NJ word doesn’t exist or is no longer frequently used.

Furthermore, Muji wants to enable ethos within the customer to convince buyers their product is the best. This can be seen through by how 50% of the words utilized are NJ, the majority of them being adjectives and verbs. While Muji is using SJ for technical terms and the greater part of nouns, it is supplying more NJ to emphasize the emotions or feelings that come with purchasing their futon.

Apple Watch Series 6

In comparison to Muji, the Apple website advertising the Apple Watch Series 6 has a slightly higher count of Sino-Japanese words than Native-Japanese words. But unlike Muji, there are more foreign loanwords being used throughout the page to attract a larger audience. We analyzed the text and found more Sino-Japanese words used as nouns, and Native-Japanese words used for verbs and adjectives. In regards to SJ words being used to express nouns, it may be because of the specific terms like some health-related words 酸素 (oxygen) and 心拍数 (heart-rate) that need to be expressed when introducing special features of the Apple Watch, and to show a kind of professionalism that caters to high-tech products. Because Sino-Japanese words are associated with formality and sophistication, it may cater to an audience that is older, wealthier and in search of a product that may help monitor their health and well-being. Not only will the Apple Watch help track one’s blood pressure and heart-rate, it is being advertised as a product of high-quality with high-standard features. 

Native-Japanese words are mostly used to express nouns such as verbs, adjectives and non-professional words. Although it uses Sino-Japanese words on a large scale to show the professionalism of the product, but as an advertising page, it still has to face the Japanese public. So, while retaining the professionalism, the NJ words can help customers understand some basic functions and advantages more effectively. NJ words were used to establish an assuring and personal connection between the product and customer (気になる時にあなたの体に取り込まれた酸素のレベル ‘[Apple Watch] will check the level of oxygen taken up by your body when you’re worried’). The incorporation of NJ words/phrases allow for solid, comprehensible sentences that effectively capture the attention of the reader. 

The Apple Watch page also had a fairly noticeable number of foreign loanwords. The use of FL allows for the promotion of a sleek and modern advertisement of a western-originated product. Moreover, FL words can better cater to the impression of the Apple watch– a high-tech product– and give people a sense of fashionable and functional uses. Since Apple is known for being a foreign business, customers are likely to see FL words as new and cool in an advertisement. The FL words were most commonly written as nouns for 25.8 % of the page, versus the FL verbs which only appeared in 6.9% of it. Some examples of the FL words were バックグラウンド, ウェルネス, フィットネス, クリスタル, センサー. These nouns worked to describe some of the features like ‘background’, ‘wellness’, ‘fitness’, ‘crystal’, ‘sensor’, etc. This is appealing to younger adults who may be more familiar and comfortable with FL and see them as modern and fashionable. In some cases, FL words were used instead of their SJ counterparts (バロメーター, 気圧計) (クラスター, 群聚). This could have been done to seem more trendy in using FL, and possibly allow younger viewers to understand context and features in a simpler way.

Materials

List of all FL, NJ, and SJ words for each website. Muji is on the left and Apple is on the right.

Welcome to our group project! Our group’s members consists of Elaine Sun, David Xiang, Zach Parrott, and Ira Reese-Thornton. We’re really excited to bring you this project!

Every one in our group likes to play video games in some capacity, and we figured it would be fun if we covered the websites for two video games which are not only different stylistically, but games which target audiences are also quite different. We chose the Japanese Pokemon and League of Legends websites for this exact purpose. We figured that since Pokemon targets a younger audience while League of Legends targets a more mature audience, there would be plenty of differences to compare and contrast. Let’s see if this is the case!

CONTEXT

Although both of these websites cover video games, the style of video game as well as the target audience determines the type of language used as well as the style of communication. As Pokemon is targeted towards a younger audience, the website is bright and upbeat, with colorful picture and informal language in order to appeal to a wider audience. League of Legends on the other hand almost exclusively uses the polite form of verbs in its writing, which signifies that the website is aiming for a more mature audience. This is backed up by the design of the website over all, which uses a lot of dark colors, as well as a lot of screenshots from the game’s environment (which looks like a medieval forest), giving off a sort of high fantasy vibe.

Pokemon

Quote 1: “シェルダーに噛みつかれた刺激で、ガラル地方に生息するヤドンの脳から分泌される化学物質と体内にあるスパイスが変質し、どくタイプのヤドキングに進化。シェルダーの知能も飛躍的にアップし、ほかのエスパータイプのポケモンを圧倒するほどの強力なサイコパワーが使えるようになっているぞ！ヤドキング（ガラルのすがた同士がコミュニケーションを図る際に呪文で会話をする様子が確認されている。さらに、ヤドキング（ガラルのすがた）が戦闘で技を使用する時などにも、謎の呪文を唱えるようだが、それら呪文の内容については、まだ解読はできていないようだ。「ぶきみなじゅもん」は、強力なサイコパワーで相手に攻撃するエスパータイプの特殊技。相手にダメージを与えるだけでなく、相手が最後に使用した技のPPを3減らす特殊な技だ。※『エキスパンションパス』のソフト内では、ヤドキング（ガラルのすがた）だけが「ぶきみなじゅもん」を覚えることができます。今後発売されるソフトでは、他のポケモンもこの技を覚える可能性があります。ヤドキング（ガラルのすがた）が持つ特性「きみょうなくすり」は、今作から登場する新しい特性。この特性を持つポケモンがバトルに登場すると、味方の能力変化を元に戻す効果がある。”

Source
Quote 2: “バラエティ番組 – ポケモンの家（うち）あつまる？毎週日曜あさ8時からテレビ東京系にて好評放送中！※一部地域では、放送日時が異なります。舞台は、とある場所にたたずむ家、「ポケんち」。ポケんちには、年齢も性別もさまざまな人たちがあつまっていますが、みんなに一つだけ共通することが、、、それは「ポケモンが大好き！」ということ。ポケモンが大好きなキミ、これからもっとくわしくなりたいキミ、日曜あさは「ポケんち」にあつまろう！10月18日（日）放送分※放送内容は変更になる場合があります。住人の紹介年齢も性別もさまざまだけれど、「ポケモンが好き！」という思いを持った住人たちを紹介！ポケモンの最新情報はもちろん、ポケモンの新たな魅力をポケモン愛をもってお届けするぞ！中川 翔子: ポケモンが大好きなポケんちの管理人。ポケモン好きな友だち“ポケだち“をたくさん呼んで、ポケモンについて語るのが何よりも幸せ。ポケモンバトルは真剣そのもの!? ヒャダイン: ポケモンの最新情報ならお任せ！のポケモン博士。頭脳派で、ポケモンバトルで強くなるための秘訣をたくさん教えてくれる。すぐに自分で試せる「ポケ塾バトル講座」は必見！あばれる君: ポケカ（ポケモンカードゲーム）が大好きで、公認 ポケカ自主大会を開催できる、イベントオーガナイザーの資格を持っている。全国のポケだちに会いに行き、ポケモン図鑑の完成を目指す、『ポケモン ソード・シールド』交換旅も大人気！大谷 凜香: ポケモンバトルの腕をめきめきあげている大学生。夢はポケんちで一番バトルに強くなること！好きなポケモンはリザードンで、空手が得意なかくとうタイプ。「ポケんち」のオリジナルソング – ポケだちが考えたポケギャグを歌詞に入れた、ポケんちの住人が歌う「ポケだちの歌」のミュージックビデオを公開中！ 歌の作詞はヒャダイン、作曲は「めざせポケモンマスター」のたなかひろかずさん。さあ、いっしょに歌って踊ってみよう！- ポケモンの家（うち）あつまる？放送曜日・時間
※放送時間は変更になる可能性があります。”

Source

Color Code: Red = Sino-Japanese, Blue = Native Japanese, Green = Loan/Jargon Words.

First of all, we decided to cover two pages from each website in order to get a good feel for the style and content of each website. In the case of the Pokemon website, we used the Japanese page for Galarian Slowking for the first page, and for the second page we used the television website page. The first thing we immediately noticed about these pages was their informal writing style and generally bright coloring with somewhat large text. Given that the target audience of Pokemon is generally children, these style choices make sense. Not only is the font easy to read, but the upbeat colors help bring in a warm and welcoming atmosphere for kids. For both web pages, native Japanese words (和語) appear the most frequently. This makes sense, as it allows people of all ages and education levels to follow all the content easily. The main difference between these pages (aside from length) is the proportion of vocabulary types. The TV guide has a lot more Sino-Japanese words (漢語) compared to the page on Galarian Slowking. Part of this is because the biographies of some of the characters from the show “ポケんち” are on the page, while in other parts it’s mainly used to give detailed information. For the Galarian Slowking page, 漢語 is used almost entirely for Galarian Slowking’s flavor text. In general, 漢語 used to represent more advanced concepts. Before we researched these pages, we expected the Pokemon website to have a lot of loanwords. However, there’s significantly less loan words than we expected. This means that rather than making Pokemon seem foreign, the language used promotes Pokemon as being a very “Japanese” thing. A lot of the 外来語 words used on either page are either names of Pokemon (such as Galarian Slowking’s Japanese name, “ヤドキング”), or the name of the franchise itself (“ポケモン”).

The goals for these pages are fairly different. While both of them serve to give information, the page on Galarian Slowking serves to give information and background to a single character – meaning there’s a lot of details about Galarian Slowking itself, rather than something so broad as the video game it appears in (Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra DLC). As for the TV article, it’s meant to give clear information about the show itself, as well as its broadcast times, with only little bits of flavor spread throughout. It’s also supposed to excite people, particularly young kids, to watch the show. The page on Galarian Slowking doesn’t have this sort of feature, instead it uses the fact that Galarian Slowking is “a new Pokemon” in order to attract people into reading the page and purchasing the game.

League of Legends

Quote 1: “皆さん、こんにちは。9月ももう終わりですから、そろそろ本格的にシャキッとしなくてはいけませんね。今回のパッチは比較的軽いもので、チャンピオンのスケーリング（試合経過に伴う成長具合）の調整がメインとなっています。その中でも大きな変更点は、あの青い魔法使いのダメージ量を盛ってあげたり 、ボットレーンの悪夢と化していたカーサスを落ち着かせたり、といったところでしょう。チャンピオンの調整以外の話題としては、もうすぐ「Worlds 2020 Clash」がやって来ます！苦闘 を乗り越え、ヒーローとなり、クールなトロフィーを手に入れましょう！一つ事務的な注意点として、このパッチの適用後にログインすると新しい行動規範が提示されます──これはプレイヤーとしての望ましい振る舞いを皆さんに周知するためのものです。それじゃあ 、リフトに向かって、未来に向かって、ブンブンブーン♪ 行ってらっしゃい！TFTのパッチノートをお探しの方は、こちらのポータルをご利用ください！”

Source

Quote 2: “免責事項 – こちらの投稿では、開発中もしくは計画中の作業への言及も多くなっていますが、必ず実装されるという保証はありません。作業や目標は新しく判明したことによって変更されることがありますし、以前言及したプロジェクトが遅れたり中止されたりといったこともありえます。ただ、計画が変わるとしても、できる限りのことを皆さんにシェアしていくのが大事だと信じています。
プレシーズンPBE: PBE（パブリックベータ環境）へのプレシーズン実装が始まってから、既に1週間が経ちました。いただいた大量のフィードバックを熟読し、今後の変更を評価している真っ最中です。プレシーズンのテストは期間を長く取りたいのですが、今後のパッチ（10.21と10.22）内容のテストも行うため、今後のPBEは少し複雑なスケジュールになっています。以下のように行う予定です：
第1週：プレシーズンのテスト
第2週：パッチ10.21のテスト
第3週：プレシーズンのテスト
第4週：パッチ10.22のテスト
第5＆6週：プレシーズンのテスト

今回のプレシーズンではアイテムの変更とその影響が大規模なので、フィードバックへの対応や、予期せぬ問題の解決に対して、余裕をもって時間とリソースをつぎ込んでいきます。例年通りなら、プレシーズンの変更を実装した少し後となる12月に、翌プレシーズンの初期構想に取りかかります。ですが今回は例年と体制を変えて、アイテムシステムのオーバーホールが実装された後、チーム全体でフォローアップに備えることにしました。担当チームに所属するデザイナー、QA（品質保証）、エンジニア、アーティストの全員が、水準に達していないと判断した要素を調整＆改善するために待機します。担当チームにその他の仕事は割り当てないので、ゲームに新鮮な空気を吹き込みつつも、なるべく早く安定した状態にするためのフォローアップを素早く行えるでしょう。LoLを世界で最も競技性の高いゲームにするために、影響の大きい変更を実装し続けたいと常に思っています。ですが、現在のLoLのすばらしさを損ねないように、変更は注意深く行っていきます。いつもプレイしてくださりありがとうございます。どうかご安全にお過ごしください。”

Source

Color Code: Red = Sino-Japanese, Blue = Native Japanese, Green = Loan/Jargon Words.

For Quote 1

For Quote 2

For League of Legends, our group decided to cover the first part of the Patch Notes: 10.20 page, as well as the Quick Gameplay Thoughts page. These pages have different goals. While they’re both meant to inform in some way, the Patch Notes page is meant to be read by all players, and contains information about an update for the game. In this case, version 10.20. Meanwhile, the Quick Gameplay Thoughts page is mostly written for those looking for insight as to how League of Legends is developed. It’s written by one of the game’s lead designers, in this case Riot Scruffy, in English. It is then translated into Japanese. Because the information on the Quick Gameplay Thoughts page is more abstract and complex, compared to the brief bits of information that go into a post detailing a game update, there’s actually more 漢語 on that page than 和語. And by a pretty significant amount, too. 外来語 definitely has it’s place in both pages as well, although for the most part it’s just referring to things about the game, such as “チャンピオン” or “メイン”.

Another thing that’s immediately apparent about the website is it’s more formal writing style. Just about every sentence ends in the polite form, making these web pages seem more professional in general. Even though League of Legends is a video game, it’s target audience is much older than that of something like Pokemon, and the more formal language helps to attract a more mature audience. In addition, the increased use of 漢語 – particularly in the Quick Gameplay Thoughts page – also helps to attract older, more educated people who might be interested in games. Although the proportion of 和語 to 漢語 can vary depending on the context, particularly in the Patch Notes page, the ratio of 和語 to 漢語 can actually be quite similar to that of the Pokemon website at some points.

Finally, the coloration of the website can be rather basic – sometimes dark or sometimes light – and with a smaller font size. These stylistic choices, in contrasts to Pokemon’s stylistic choices, not only promote League of Legends as a more mature game, but they also help to attract an older audience while simultaneously turning off kids who might be too young to play the game.

Summary

In summary, although both of these websites promote video games, their stylistic choices determine what kinds of audiences they attract. For the Pokemon Website, they use bright colors, easy to understand language, and a large font in order to make reading simple and easy for every one. For the League of Legends website, they used darker/more basic colors, more complex language, a more polite speech style, and a smaller font in order to attract a more mature audience. They also don’t use nearly as many loanwords as one would expect, save for mentioning aspects about the game itself.

Vocabulary

Pokemon – Galarian Slowking Web Page

漢語
Nouns: 化学物質，知能，会話，様子，戦闘，内容，特殊技，可能性，特性，今作，能力変化，効果
Verbs: 刺激，変質，進化，圧倒する，使用する，攻撃，登場する
Adjectives: 地方に，体内に，飛躍的，強力，最後，特殊

和語
Nouns: 脳，どく，すがた，図，呪文，技，時，ぶきみなじゅもん，相手，こと，くすり，味方、今後、他、内，元
Verbs: 生息する，分泌される，ある，なっている，する，確認，唱える，解読，与える，減らす，覚える，できます，発売される，持つ，戻す，できていない
Adjectives: 噛みつかれ，使えるように，際に，謎，だけでなく，この，きみょう，新しい
Other: さらに，について

外来語
Nouns: シェルダー，ガラル，ヤドン，スパイス，タイプ，ヤドキング，エスパー，ポケモン，サイコパワー，コミュニケーション，ダメージ，エキスパンションパス，ソフト，バトル
Verbs: アップ
Adjectives: N/A

Pokemon – TV Show Web Page

漢語
Nouns: 好評放送中, 系, 一部地域, 放送, 舞台, 場所, 年齢, 性別, 放送分, 内容, 場合, 住人, 紹介, 大, 最新情報, 魅力, 管理人, 真剣, 博士, 秘訣, 自分, 塾, 講座, 必見, 公認, 自主大会, 開催, 資格, 全国, 図鑑, 完成, 交換旅, 大学生, 一番, 歌詞, 公開中, 作詞, 作曲, 時間, 放送時間, 可能性, 日時, 時, 番
Verbs: 共通する
Adjectives: 得意な, 大人気

和語
Nouns: 家, 毎週日曜, 東京, みんな, なか, 一つ, たくさん, 人たち, こと, キミ*, 好き, 思い, そのもの, お届け, 友だち, 幸せ, お任せ, ため, かくとう, いっしょ, ずさん, 空手, 腕, 夢, 組, キミ
Verbs: あつまる, 異なります, たたずむ, なる, 持った, だ, あげている, なら, 教えてくれる, 呼んで, 語る, 試せる, できる, 会い, 行き, 目指す, 考えた, 入れた, 歌う, めざせ, 踊ってみよ, 語る
Adjectives: あさ, さまざまな, くわしく, 新たな, 強く

外来語
Noun: ポケモン, テレビ, ポケんち, バトル, ポケモンカードゲーム, イベントオーガナイザー, シールド, リザードン, オリジナル, ソング, タイプ, ミュージックビデオ, ポケモンマスター, ポケギャグ , バラエティ
Verbs: N/A
Adjectives: N/A

英語
Nouns: Variety, 8

漢語
Nouns: 9月、本格的、今回、比較的、試合経過、成長具合、調整、変更点、魔法、悪夢、調整以外、話題、苦闘、注意点、適用後、行動規範、未来、ご利用
Verbs: 提示されます、周知する
Adjectives: 事務的な

和語
Nouns: 皆さん、こんにちは、もう、終わり、もの、そ、中、あ、量、すぐ、となり、手、一つ、こ、これ、舞い、ため、それ、お探し、方、こちら、の、
Verbs: しなくてはいけません、伴う、なっています、大きな、盛ってあげたり、化していた、落ち着かせたり、いったところ、して、やって来ます、乗り越え、入れましょう、振る、行ってらっしゃい
Adjectives: そろそろ、軽い、青い、使い、新しい、望ましい、向かって、

外来語
Nouns: シャキッ、パッチ、チャンピオン、スケーリング、メイン、ダメージ、ボットレーン、カーサス、ヒーロー、トロフィー、プレイヤー、パッチノート、リフト、ポータル
Verbs: ログインする、ブンブンブーン
Adjectives: クールな

英語
Nouns: Worlds 2020 Clash, TFT

League of Legends – Quick Gameplay Thoughts

漢語
Nouns: 免責事項 投稿 開発中 計画中 作業 言及 保証 作業 目標 計画 環境 1週間 大量 今後 期間 内容 以下 第1週 第2週 第3週 第4週 第5＆6週 今回 影響 対応 予期 問題 解決 余裕 時間 例年 12月 初期構想 体制 全体 担当 品質保証 全員 水準 要素 調整 仕事 空気 状態 世界 競技性 現在 注意 安全
Verbs: 実装される 判明した 変更される 以前言及した 中止されたり 熟読し 評価している 所属する 判断した 改善する 待機します 安定した
Adjectives: 大事だ 複雑な 大規模な 新鮮な

和語
Nouns: こちら こと 皆さん 行う予定 後
Verbs: 多くなっています ありません よって ありますし 遅れたり ありえます 変わるとして 信じています いただいた 始まって していく 経ちました 取りたい 続けたい できる限り なっています 対して つぎ込んでいきます 通り 少し後となる 取りかかります 変えて 達していない 割り当てない 備えることにしました お過ごしください してくださりありがとうございます 深く行っていきます 素早く行えるでしょう 常に思っています 損ねない 吹き込みつつも
Adjectives: 新しく 高い 大きい すばらしさ

外来語
Nouns: プロジェクト シェア プレシーズン パブリックベータ フィードバック テスト パッチ スケジュール アイテム リソース アイテムシステム オーバーホール チーム フォローアップ デザイナー エンジニア アーティスト ゲーム
Verbs: プレイ
Adjectives: N/A

Credits:

Elaine Sun – Pokemon Website Research, Pokemon Website Data Organization, Pokemon Website Data Visualization, Google Doc Organizer, Supporting Author.

David Xiang – League of Legends Website Research, League of Legends Website Data Organization, League of Legends Data Visualization, League of Legends Website Vocabulary Organization, Supporting Author.

Zach Parrott – Assisted League of Legends Website Research and Data Visualization, Google Doc Organizer, Primary Writer/Author, Article Formatting, Group Morale Guy.

Ira Reese-Thornton – Assisted Pokemon Website Research and Data Visualization, Google Doc Organizer, Pokemon Website Vocabulary Organization, Supporting Author.

Introduction

In this project, the group members were Linnet Edwards, Steven Shinmachi, Lin, and Elizabeth Chandler.

Within the group, there were two teams of two persons each, Elizabeth and Linnet, who worked on the AGC webpage, and Steven and Lin, who worked on the Pocky webpage. Each group provided screenshots of their respective websites, and each went through the text and organized the Sino-Japanese, Native-Japanese, and Foreign Loan Words into a table, separated by whether they were a verb, adjective, or noun. Grammatical particles are not included, and adverbs have been grouped with the adjectives, while adverbial nouns with the nouns.

We chose to examine two different forms of advertising websites, one for the Japanese manufacturing company AGC, and one for the Japanese snack company Ezaki Glico’s popular product Pocky. 

AGC: https://www.agc.com/news/detail/1201504_2148.html

Pocky: http://cp.pocky.jp/jimoto-pocky/about/

Upon first glance, the ACG page we chose to analyze may appear overwhelming; this is due to the overload of Kango words used in this company’s product promotion. Because Kango is used primarily in formal settings it’s appearance here was expected as this manufacturing company’s main buyers are large corporations. In order to best relay specific information about their product, the company must include many technical terms on their webpage, those of which are written in Kango. 

This specific page, however, is for the promotion for a newly released glass technology; in it, the writer gives specific examples for the product’s application and use. The presentation of real-life examples introduces more Wago to the text. This can be seen when the writer speaks of the natural disasters that occur in Japan. The subject of the paragraph drives the type of language used. Taking a look at the first and third paragraph, one can see the increased use of Garaigo. This can be explained by the topic at hand. When speaking of the product itself, or the features the glassware has, the writer is forced to use katakana to correctly express terminology derived from English. 

Examples of these include:

1. ラミセーフシェルター™
2. ベターリビング

Despite the large Kango presence, the AGC webpage is very straight forward. It contains large blocks of texts detailing the specifications of the product, the situation it was designed for, and safety information. There are only three infographics on the entire page. The first diagrams the glass, it’s thickness, and the company logo. The second displays company contact information, and the last explains the specifications of three different types of glass in this line.

Through this, it is made clear that the target audience for this product is not the general public. Furthermore, due to its highly technical and specialized information, much of the article is written using Sino-Japanese words. Of all the nouns used, 65% are Sino-Japanese. This can be compared to the 27% of Native Japanese and 8% of Foreign Loan Words. Most of these nouns showcased a desire for clear and specific language, which included words involving measurements, product information, etc. 

Most Native-Japanese words were almost exclusively adjectival and adverbial nouns, with a few exceptions. As we learned in class surnames and natural phenomena are written using native Japanese words. We found various examples of this on the AGC webpage. Such as 玉城　和美, the contact name for this product, and words like 下 、屋根、窓, as well as 宮川, the name of the manager. 

Foreign-loan words, on the other hand, appeared to have more nouns. However, those mentioned were mainly related to company and product names, foreign measurement systems, and words relating to the internet of which there are no Japanese equivalents.

For example, the promotional webpage talks about the 「ラミセーフシェルターTM」where ラミ refers to the word, “laminated”. This is one of the various examples Japanese has of foreign language shortening. In this particular case, the front end of the word “laminated” is used to represent the word’s meaning. The abridged “Lami”, is used in conjunction with the words “セーフ”:safe, and “シェルター”: shelter; both of which possess a native Japanese equivalent. This poses the question: Why not use the native Japanese word in this context? 

Notice the trademark symbol at the end of the word. Its presence is not merely to indicate the term has been claimed, rather it helps to distinguish it as the title of the company’s product, differentiating it from a general safe shelter. Furthermore, katakana is used to emphasize words; they stand out for being written in a different writing system. For this reason, katakana is widely used in the advertisement industry and on this webpage.

Though only selling glass, AGC advertises its product as a safe shelter in its entirety. Had this been advertised in English the glass would most likely be marketed as the staple for a safe shelter, rather than the shelter itself. This difference could arise from the way Japanese writing forms contain specific meaning. In other words, many kanji are compounds that hold reading form and meaning. In this example, the katakana phrase is created in such a way that it also contains both pieces of information.

The usage of “stock” and “glass” instead of Native-Japanese equivalent words is another example of this phenomenon. Stock was used as part of the word “housing stock” (i.e. the total number of houses in an area) combining a Sino-Japanese word and a Foreign-Loan word. This appears only because this form of “stock” seems to not have a Japanese equivalent to succinctly express this concept, or the word that was used has simply fallen out of fashion. The same can be said for “glass”. In specific, it is talking about glass in a pane form, not about a glass cup. Again, it seems whatever the Native-Japanese or Sino-Japanese word for this word has fallen into obscurity. This is also not an advertising choice to appear “more foreign”, as many words in Japanese to express different types of glass also use the foreign-loan word, such as colored glass（色ガラス）, broken glass（割れたガラス）, frosted glass（すりガラス）, etc.

When analyzing pure adjectives, we found that their usage is extremely small and limited only to Native-Japanese words. (Note: there are many words in the noun list, specifically the Sino-Japanese list, that can be used as adjectives. However, they were not and were instead used in their noun form, and therefore, are not being counted. Adjectives are only considered “true adjectives” if they were used in the adjectival form.) Three were used in direct appeal to the consumer, such as 良き(い)社会, a good society, or 新たな価値, new value. The only two used in product specification were にくい and 高い, the former relating to the glass’s strong durability, while the latter had to do with its usage as a crime prevention device (高い防犯性能).

Comparatively, we noticed that verbs are more numerous than the adjectives. To our surprise, there are more Native-Japanese verbs than Sino-Japanese. Again though, the foreign loan words are the smallest list. With the foreign loan words, most again have to do with giving the image and feeling that do not have a proper Native-Japanese or Sino-Japanese word equivalency, or the equivalent is no longer used. There is one (シェア) that’s usage is directly tied to its meaning on the internet, as in to share something on Facebook or Twitter. The second list is the Sino-Japanese words, most of which include highly specific verbs that correspond to the formal tone of this text. However, interestingly, there are more Native-Japanese words in comparison, mainly relating to general concepts such as 守る to protect、割れた separated、持つ to hold, etc. where the Native-Japanese word would be more appropriate due to the general nature of word it is modifying, or just in general.

Looking at the Pocky website, we decided to group the websites nouns, adjectives, and verbs to Native Japanese, Sino-Japanese, and Western-Loan. After grouping them, we found many different Native and Sino-Japanese nouns and verbs, with very little adjectives and wetern-loan words overall.  

Throughout the article, the most frequently used words were Sino-Japanese, with Native Japanese and Western-Loan to follow. This makes sense, as the website is targeting mostly Native Japanese people giving them a report of the quality and specialty of the different fruits and foods they use for their product. The high usage of Native and Sino-Japanese also suggests that the website is targeting adults as well. Nouns and verbs were used the most throughout the texts, with very limited number of adjectives. Within the Native and Sino-Japanese words however, we saw that Sino-Japanese words had more verbs than Native. Western-Loan words were very rare, as there were 6 in total. 

The usage of Sino-Japanese is thought to have more names, fancier verbs and content nouns. Compared to Native Japanese words, they contain easy verbs and common situation words. Western-Loan words on the other hand contain words that carry foreign and international concepts. Knowing this, the high usage of Sino-Japanese words made sense because of the professionalism the words show to the intended adult audience. At first, it was surprising to see the lack of Western-Loan words on a Pocky website as they are a globally well-known company. Looking closer into our website however, within the context of our text found in the website, it made sense to not have them because the audience was catered more towards adults to inform them about the background behind some pocky’s flavor; not a website advertising pocky. 

To our surprise, there were no words written in non-standard script. This made sense because the intent of the website was not to seem flashy and cool, but rather to inform the intended audience about their product’s flavor. However, there were words like あまざけ throughout our text which were written both like あまざけ and 甘酒.

After reading and learning about Seaton’s idea of imagery words generate, I realized that this website uses mostly Sino-Japanese to generate a professional-like imagery. Due to the intended audience being adults, this particular part of the pocky website did not need to add any Western-Loan or Native-Japanse words to try and advertise the product. Instead, having the professional imagery allows the website to inform the intended audience clearly and easily with the reading.