particles of Japanese (Re: Tenchi's Juraian blood)


to tenchi@ML.usagi.org
from head <head@sainet.or.jp>
subject particles of Japanese (Re: Tenchi's Juraian blood)
date Wed, 01 Sep 1999 02:35:21 +0900
Kevin Aw wrote:
>   I was wondering.. the "me" part of that translation... I know when they
> teach us Japanese, they call those parts of the sentences, "particles."
> Well, I'm not entirely sure about "me"... but I know that "wa" is supposed
> to be a particle (right?)

Yes. "wa" and "me" are particles. 

> "Nei hao ma?"  (Mandarin)

I have heard there is the word "ma?" in Mandarin and that is like "ka?" in Japanese.

word-for-word translation of that Mandarin sentence  is "You fine **?", right?
(probably, it spells "ni hao ma?" in PinYin)

>   So this "ma?" is just a sound that you have to speak in order to be
> understood... is this the nearly the same thing in Japanese?

hmmmm. almost yes, but the mean not change as much as "ma?" if you leave out "me".


Shuichi Koga wrote:
>  Would you perchance have a script? 

Pardon, I cannot grasp what you say.. Are you ask me whether I have the Tenchi script?


> Saisei could mean one of two things, depending on the kanji:
> 
> 1) Regenerate
> 2) Remanufacture

Well, as you know, when Kagato said "saisei", he did NOT mean 'remanufacture (Tenchi)'.

confidently, No. Any Japanese will not image "remanufacture" when he/she hear this
words.

This is a trivial subject, so please ignore if you are not interested in...
Let's see Kagato's words in detail.
 "Koredeha saisei mo kikanu ka."

"Koredeha" (pronounced: "korede wa") 
	= "kore" + "de" + "wa"
	= this + in, on, with... + (determinater of the subject)
	= with this(sort of performance), in this situation,  judging from this...

"mo"
	= too, also, as well as, even, even if, though....(in this context, "even" seems
appropriate)

"kikanu" = "kiku"(verb)  + "nu"(older negation particle. current, "nai")
	= be effective, function, work, be possible + no, not
	= not be able to, not be effective,...

There is not the particle determining the past tense, so this word means the present
tense
or the future tense. 

"ka" = (basically, interrogative particle. in this context, he ask himself, in short,mean
a monologue)

The meaning of this sentense is determined by "mo" and "koredeha".
He remanufactured (if he did) before he fall into "this" situation.

If he wished to mean "remanufacture Tenchi", he had to say,(for example)
"Yahari, saisei wa kikanu ka..."
("As I thought, I cannot remanufacture...")
--
Head
head@sainet.or.jp

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