In "RailGun" the main character is constantly referred to as an "Ojyo-sama" by the rest of the cast and supporting characters. In most anime a princess is a "Hime". Is this use of "Ojyo-sama" a put down?
<bclark@REMOVE4_airmail.net> wrote: >In "RailGun" the main character is constantly referred to as an "Ojyo-sama" >by the rest of the cast and supporting characters. In most anime a >princess is a "Hime". Is this use of "Ojyo-sama" a put down?
It's a different title. Geneon used the phrase "m'lady" as a translation of ojou-san in their translation of "Stellvia," so I'm assuming the honorific isn't as highly ranked as hime-san is.
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In article <4af8bbc2.43328...@news.individual.net>, robk...@deadspam.com (Rob Kelk) wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 12:48:11 -0600, "Bobby Clark" > <bclark@REMOVE4_airmail.net> wrote:
> >In "RailGun" the main character is constantly referred to as an "Ojyo-sama" > >by the rest of the cast and supporting characters. In most anime a > >princess is a "Hime". Is this use of "Ojyo-sama" a put down?
> It's a different title. Geneon used the phrase "m'lady" as a translation > of ojou-san in their translation of "Stellvia," so I'm assuming the > honorific isn't as highly ranked as hime-san is.
May have to do with "acquired status" as opposed to "status from birth". According to one dictionary, "ojousama" is a "term of respect for another's daughter, or daughter of a high-class family". "Himesama" is defined in my dictionary as "daughter of a nobleman". So, in most feudal-type societies that start developing a rich working-class, when you become as wealthy as a nobleman, you won't ever be noble, but you deserve respect (since you might be wealthy enough to buy the nobleman) anyway.
Cap.
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On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:49:08 -0500, in rec.arts.anime.misc, Captain Nerd
<cptn...@nerdwatch.com> wrote: > May have to do with "acquired status" as opposed to "status from > birth". According to one dictionary, "ojousama" is a "term of > respect for another's daughter, or daughter of a high-class family". > "Himesama" is defined in my dictionary as "daughter of a nobleman". > So, in most feudal-type societies that start developing a rich > working-class, when you become as wealthy as a nobleman, you won't > ever be noble, but you deserve respect (since you might be wealthy > enough to buy the nobleman) anyway.
That seems to agree with the way I see 'ojousama' used in manga scanlated by groups that retain the original (untranslated) Japanese honorifics and other forms of address: a daughter of a wealthy, powerful family, but not a noble by birth.
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On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:48:11 -0600, Bobby Clark wrote: > In "RailGun" the main character is constantly referred to as an "Ojyo-sama" > by the rest of the cast and supporting characters. In most anime a > princess is a "Hime". Is this use of "Ojyo-sama" a put down?
One possible source of confusion:
[terms in quotes are from edict]
嬢 (jou) = "young woman" お嬢 (ojou) = more polite version (honourific o- prefix) お嬢様 (ojousama) = "(term of respect for) another's daughter, daughter of a high-class family"
王女 (oujo) = "princess"
[cf: 女王 (joou) = "queen"]
Also:
姫 (hime) and 媛 (hime) = "princess, young lady of noble birth"
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