KANA discussion

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KANA discussion

Quoting Larry

Hugh Bygott has stated that "kana wastes two mora." Mr. Gill seems to at least partially agree with this opinion. In his book, "Cherry Blossom Epiphany," Mr. Gill devotes a page to the word 'kana.'

Gill says, in part:

" 'Kana' is all-too-often defined as a 'kireji,' or 'cutting-word,' indicating a pause or division of a 'ku,' with no explanation as to why it is usually found at the end of the same, where there is no need to cut and a pause is only natural.
The reason for such nonsense is that proto-haiku was generally part of a chain of link-verse, and the cutting word kept the 'ku' apart from the next 'ku' whether another 5-7-5, or a 7-7 cap. Its emphatic nuance is one reason it still works at the end.

"Perhaps this is why old 'ku,' such as most found in this book, tend to have more 'kana' than new ones do, though other factors also play a role. In Japanese, the subject tends to come last, or, right before the 'kana,' if there is a 'kana.' So, if the word used for the subject is three syllabets-long, there will be many 'kana.' Or, if the subject has a tiny name, like say, a 'mosquito' which, in Japanese, is 'ka,' the 'kana' serves to fill space (and, I suppose, adds alliteration, to boot)."

But Mr. Gill also says that 'kana' means, in its use as "emphatic nuance:" "oh" "ah" "alas" "!" "?" and several other things as well.

I feel like I'm getting mixed signals about the use of 'kana.' Is it mostly a space-filler, or more a conveyer of "empthatic nuance?" If new haiku have fewer 'kana' than old ones do, does that mean that new haiku poets don't say "oh" "ah" "alas," or feel the need to indicate something is an exclamation or a question, as much as haiku poets used to, or have new haiku poets found different ways of indicating these things?

Larry


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