JP1000 Lecture 11


Classification of Verbs (review: Lecture 9)

   (1) Strong (conjugation) verbs [Consonant (stem) ending verbs]:

        yomu, kaku, hanasu, kiku, kau, kaeru, wakaru, nomu, ...



   (2) Weak (conjugation) verbs [Vowel (stem) ending verbs]:

        iru, miru, kiru 'wear' taberu, oshieru, miseru, ageru, ...



   (3) Irregular (conjugation) verbs:

        suru, -suru, kuru, aru, gozaru, irassharu, iku

Kinship terms

   (1) referring to your own: 

        chichi, haha, ani, ane, otooto, imooto, 

        shujin, kanai, oji, oba, sofu, sobo, itoko



   (2) referring to someone else's: 

        otoosan, okaasan, obaa-san, ojii-san, oniisan, oneesan, otooto-san, 

        imooto-san, okusan, go-shujin, o-ko-san ...



   (3) vocative: 

        otoosan, okaasan, obaasan, ojiisan, ojisan, obasan, oniisan, oneesan, 

        okusan, Yamada-kun no okaasan ...

        *otooto, *imooto, *kanai, ...



   (4) addressing stranger: 

        ojiisan, obaasan, ojisan, obasan, (botchan), (ojoosan), (oniisan),

        (oneesan), ...

Causal Connective KARA 'as, because'

Structure:  S1(cause)  KARA  S2(result)



        Nihongo wa muzukashii kara, wakarimasen.

        Ani wa byooki da kara, kimasen.

        Dooshite wakarimasen ka? Chotto muzukashii desu kara.

S + deshoo?: asking for agreement

        Kono eega, omoshiroi deshoo?/  Ee, soo desu nee.

        Ashita irassharu deshoo?/  Ee, mairimasu.

Inverted S for specification

        Doko e ikimashita ka, ano hito wa?

        Omoshiroi desu yo, Kanji wa.

Informal non-past copula DA [male register]

        Kore mo sore mo onaji desu/da yo.

        Are wa Yooku Daigaku desu/da ne.

  (cf.) Sono kuruma wa takai desu/*da yo.

Adverbial expressions

shibaraku 'for a while':



        Shibaraku deshita.

        Shibaraku byooki deshita.



hajimete 'for the first time':

        Kyoo hajimete Kanji o naraimashita.

        Nihon wa hajimete desu ka?



nakanaka 'considerably', 'more than expected':

        Kono mise no ryoori wa nakanaka oishii desu yo.

        Nakanaka omoshiroi eega deshita ne.



naze 'why ...?':

        Naze Nihongo o benkyoo-shite imasu ka?

        Kinoo naze kimasen deshita ka?



doo-shite 'how come ...?':

        Doo-shite desu ka?

        Doo-shite ikimasen ka?



Sociolinguistic interactions

Inquiry - Appreciation:



        Ogenki desu ka? -  Ee, okage-sama de.



Compliment - Humility:



        Nihongo ga o-joozu desu nee. -  Iie, mada mada desu.



Agreement seeking - Agreement:



        Kyoo wa nakanaka samui desu nee. -  Ee, soo desu nee.



Grief - Sympathy:



        Shibaraku byooki deshita. -  Sore wa ikemasen nee.  Doozo odaiji ni.

©Norio Ota 2000