The Changing Role of Katakana in the Japanese Writing System

"The Changing Role of Katakana in the Japanese Writing System" is an academic book that explores the role of Katakana in the Japanese writing system. It highlights the three main scripts of Japanese: Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. While Kanji consists of logographic characters derived from Chinese, Hiragana and Katakana are phonetic syllabaries. In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of Katakana in various publications, which presents challenges for both native speakers and learners of Japanese. This book provides empirical data on this increase and examines the differences in the use of Katakana in magazines, newspapers, and television advertisements. Additionally, it analyzes the linguistic reasons for the difficulties arising from the rise of Gairaigo (loanwords in Katakana) and offers suggestions for improving the comprehensibility of these words. It is aimed at policymakers, language educators, and learners of Japanese, providing valuable insights into the current development of the Japanese script.