Just a quick word on this as a Chinese speaker, のmay have been popularised by Japanese manga/popular culture or Taiwanese in recent years, but it has been used interchangeably with the classical Japanese 之 or in Mandarin, 的 from a long time back - I have seen it in my grandparents' letters from decades earlier. <br>
<br>Perhaps the linguistic historians out there could tell us if の was imported into China during the Meiji/Taisho era? Or could it have been brought into Hiragana script from classical Chinese centuries back?<br><br><br>
<div class="gmail_quote">2009/12/26 Jonathan M. Hall <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jmhall@pomona.edu">jmhall@pomona.edu</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
I would like to concur with Aaron's observation, with the additional note that I've seen the same phenomenon on the Mainland, Shanghai specifically, in the last few years that I've been going there and checking out the pirate markets. Speakers of Mandarin will no doubt have far more to say, but I see the Japanese の being used as a substitute for 之—as it is used in Japan also. The titles are simply Chinese local titles and are not intended to be read in Japanese.<br>
<br>
Jonathan M Hall<br>
<br>
________________________________________<br>
差出人: <a href="mailto:owner-KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu">owner-KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</a> [<a href="mailto:owner-KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu">owner-KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</a>] は Aaron Gerow [<a href="mailto:aaron.gerow@yale.edu">aaron.gerow@yale.edu</a>] の代理<br>
送信日時: 2009年12月25日 2:12<br>
宛先: <a href="mailto:KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu">KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</a><br>
件名: Re: Alternate Japanese titles outside of Japan<br>
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
Not knowing the specific answer, I was nonetheless struck by a<br>
hypothesis. Use of the Japanese kana の has become somewhat of a<br>
fad in Hong Kong and some Chinese territories (going along with a boom<br>
in Japanese pop culture). I was wondering if the Chinese distributor<br>
made up this title for Chinese audiences who, especially if they are<br>
fans, know about the の already. In that case, this is not an<br>
alternative Japanese title, but an alternative Chinese title which<br>
nonetheless underlines this is a "cool Japan" film. Maybe someone else<br>
knows the answer.<br>
<br>
Aaron Gerow<br>
Associate Professor<br>
Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures<br>
Yale University<br>
53 Wall Street, Room 316<br>
PO Box 208363<br>
New Haven, CT 06520-8363<br>
USA<br>
Phone: 1-203-432-7082<br>
Fax: 1-203-432-6764<br>
e-mail: <a href="mailto:aaron.gerow@yale.edu">aaron.gerow@yale.edu</a><br>
site: <a href="http://www.aarongerow.com" target="_blank">www.aarongerow.com</a><br>
<br>
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