男らしいのコンテント

Folks, I'm just a wonderin' what exactly you would like to see here? Please post your ideas and comments on this thread. Whether you want to review something or whether you don't fully understand something, let's try and get to the bottom of it!

I will leave it be for one week, collect the comments, and then try to come up with some content.

So far, I've only got requests for giongo　(擬音語） and gitaigo　(擬態語）

Yours truly,
JLJZen

につれて、に伴って、に従って、and と共に

This is a copy of a thread I posted on on Tae Kim's Japanese forum. The entire thread can be found at: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=8006#p8006

Damn --I spent a long time on this, and got confused, myself, a number of times.

...so wish me luck on not messing up.
Let's start with the questions:

留学に　（　　　）　ビザの申請が必要になる。a ともに　　b したがって　　c 伴って　d つれて
How do you choose between b,c and d?

The answer is C.

伴う
Ok, well, に伴う has a nuance of
1. X accompanies X /be Xed along with X.
So here に伴う would make the most sense.


For question two, let's break this into two sentences, so as not to get overwhelmed.

part I: "日本の祭りやそこで伝えられてきた伝統芸能も、時代　(１　　）　行われなくなってきた。"
a. につれて　b. とともに

Answer 1: とともに　＝ Both X and X; together with X, X"
...伝統芸能も、時代と共に行われなくなってきた。
"In English, "...the traditional performing arts, together with the era, will both cease to go on."

part II: "そのような伝統芸能が減っていく　(2　　）　伝統文化も失われてきている。"

Answer 2: につれて　＝ "As"
"そのような伝統芸能が減っていくにつれて、伝統文化も失われてきている。"
"In English, "As those kinds of traditional performing arts continue to decrease, traditional culture, too, will be lost."

But if we were to put in と共に (with) the meaning wouldn't fit well with 行う, meaning proceed, go on. Process of elimination, baby!

So, here's a quick overview:

にしたがう
にしたがって can be interpreted along the lines of
1. "do X according to Y"
2. "as X change happens, B change happens"
** and also, at the beginning of sentences, it can be used like だから　meaning "therefore, so, consequently."

例文： 上司の命令にしたがって、手紙を送りました。
I sent the letter according to my bosses instructions.


につれて
につれて basically means
1. "as X change happens, Y change happens"
2. "along with X, Y"

例文：気温があたたかくなるにつれて、風邪が良くなった
As the temperture warmed, I got rid of my cold.


と共に
と共に has a nuance similar to 一緒に
1. "X together with Y"
2. "along with/as well as"
3. "both"
4. "at the same time"

例文：大阪は東京とともに日本経済の中心地である
Osaka, together with Tokyo, are the center of the Japanese economy. (Thanks to DC at jgram.com)


に伴う
Ok, well, に伴う has a nuance of
1. X accompanies Y
2. be Xed along with Y
3. X is associated with Y

例文：地震に伴う火災で、多くの人命が失われた
Many people perished in the fires associated with the earthquake.

Whew!

JLPT 2級 REVIEW

Folks, I'm just a wonderin' what exactly you would like to see here? Please post your ideas and comments on this thread. Whether you want to review something or whether you don't fully understand something, let's try and get to the bottom of it!

I will leave it be for one week, collect the comments, and then try to come up with some content.

Yours truly,

JLJZen

２級のグラフに関する表現 UPDATED

Rise/Increase

Increase; Rise; Grow; Stretch
増える・増加する
伸びる・上昇 【じょうしょう】する

Increase rapidly/suddenly
急増 【きゅうぞう】する

Explosion/sharp increase
激増 【げきぞう】する

Fall/Decrease

Decrease; Fall; Decline; Drop; Reduce; Diminish
減る・減少 【げんしょう】
落ちる・落ち込む・下降 【かこう】

Decrease rapidly/suddenly
急減

Sharp decrease
激減する

Kanji Tips

Often time, you can guess the meaning of some kanji, even if you don't know the reading. Looking at the above, you can see two distinct groups.

1. Rise; Increase: 増,伸,上
2. Drop; Decrease: 減,落,下

Basically, the above radicals, when coupled with the vocabulary below can be invaluable when dealing with complex graphs and passaged that make the reader want to do a double take.

Graph specific
vocabulary

大幅に（おおはばに）: Considerably, substantially
小幅に（こはばに）: small, modestly, slightly
小幅ながら: although/while small
多少（たしょう）: Somewhat
わずかに: slightly
ほぼ：Nearly, just about, somewhere in the region of
ますます：More and more, increasingly
横ばい：Flattening out, go sideways
増減(ぞうげん): Fluctuation

I almost...～そうになる

The other day, I had a hard time expressing easily the fact that I was almost hit by a car. I kept telling my girlfriend "ぎりぎりで車に引かれたよ." Now whether that makes sense or not, I think she got the nuance, but she repeated back to me, "もうちょっとで車にひかれそうになった?" And it hit me like a ton of bricks --

そう：as if, like, appear ＋ なる: to be
=　～そうになる：　almost/nearly　～X

車にひかれそうになった
almost hit by a car.

So, by V-masu sou ni naru, you can say how something nearly happened. Verbs must also be non-volitional (verbs that are beyond your control), which includes passive and potential verbs.

例：　帰る途中で、酔っぱらい運転手にひかれそうになった
Halfway home, I was almost hit by a drunk driver.

例：　地震で、井口さんの家はつぶれそうになった
Mr. Iguchi's house almost collapsed in the earthquake.

例：　今日はすごく暑くて、死にそうになるよ
I'm dying, it's so hot.

Just a side note, for volitional verbs (verbs that are under your control), you should use volitional form ＋とする to describe almost/attempting X.

Vocabulary, 9.11-15

Below is new vocabulary this week. Expect updates all week.

おろか： not to mention X

保証; 保障 【ほしょう】 guarantee; security; assurance; pledge; warranty

入れ墨　【いれずみ】 tattoo

善意 【ぜんい】 good faith; good will; good intentions; favorable sense; favourable sense

炒める 【いためる】 to stir-fry

効果的 【こうかてき】 effective; successful

9.13

味方 【みかた】 friend; ally; supporter

目指す; 目差す 【めざす】 to aim at; to have an eye on

不向き 【ふむき】 unfit; unsuitable

効率 【こうりつ】 efficiency
効率的 【こうりつてき】 efficient

despite; though; although; in spite of, ad infinitum...

Depending on the situation, there are many ways to say despite; though; although; in spite of, etc. Some grammar that has consistently been tested on the JLPT ２級 are:

に(も)かかわらず
のに
くせに
をともわず

にしろ・にせよ

Today, I'd like to talk about

に（も）かかわらず

According to Blabby, a contributor to J-Gram, a helpful translation of に（も）かかわらず is：
にかかわらず- Regardless of

にもかかわらず - In spite of, despite

大雨にもかかわらず、船が出発した

Regardless of the heavy rain, the ship departed.

彼の善意にもかかわらず、企画は完全に大失敗だった
Despite his good intentions, the project was a compete and utter failure.

タトゥーがあるにかかわらず、誰でも入ってもいいですよ

Anyone can enter, regardless of if you have a tattoo.

日本にいるにせよいないにせよ、または初心者かどうかにかかわらず、あなたにふさわしい授業があります
Whether you are in Japan or not, regardless of if you are a beginner, there is a suitable class for you.

According to various texts, including the Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar, に（も）かかわらず is mainly used in formal and written Japanese. Otherwise, it lists のに and けれど（も） as synonyms...

それにもかかわらず、｢に(も)かかわらず」はとても便利な表現だと思いますね。
Nonetheless, I think it is a very handy expression.

～かける： unfinished wor...

One way to say "in the middle of X~ing" and "started to do X (but not finished)" is:

かける/かけの*/かけだ**

This grammar point is relatively easy to grasp. It's definition is listed as:

はじめたが、まだ終わっていない
まだ～している途中だ

例：彼は何かを言いかけたが、急に黙ってしまった。

He was on the verge of saying something, but suddenly held his tongue.

例：途中で小説を止めてしまったから、小説はまだ書きかけだよ。
I stopped in the middle of writing the novel, so it is still half-finished.

例：お爺ちゃんはトイレで新聞を読みかけて、そのままでうとうと寝ちゃった。

Grandpa was reading the paper on the toilet and fell asleep like that!

*かけの is a modifier for nouns (eg. tabekake no ringo)
食べかけのりんご=A half-eaten apple

**かけだ comes at the end of a sentence where だ is derived from です

書きかけだ=it is in the middle of being written

New Vocabulary This Week

Here are a couple of interesting words I have come across this week in my readings. Take a look, and feel free to add to this list in the comments section. I'll try and do a vocabulary entry once a week with daily updates.

自業自得 【じごうじとく】paying for one's mistakes; getting one's just deserts; suffering the consequences (of one's own actions)

早とちり 【はやとちり】 jumping to a conclusion (see also 早合点【はやがてん】)

語呂合わせ; 語路合わせ; 語呂合せ; 語路合せ 【ごろあわせ】 rhyming game; play on words; pun

ひょっとして by any chance; (should) it happen (that)

泡銭 【あぶくぜに】 easy money

道理で 【どうりで】 indeed; it's no wonder

朝飯前 【あさめしまえ】 a trivial matter; a cinch to do; it's a piece of cake

先刻承知 【せんこくしょうち】being already (well) aware; to know something all along

9.7.06

真っ最中 【まっさいちゅう】 in the very act of doing; midst; middle of; height of

自縄自縛 【じじょうじばく】 being caught in one's own trap; put one's foot in one's mouth; be caught in a web of one's own making

うつ病 【うつびょう】 melancholia; depression

号外 【ごうがい】 newspaper extra/special edition

麻痺 【まひ】 paralysis; palsy; numbness; stupor

反省 【はんせい】 reflection; reconsideration; introspection; contemplation; self-examination; soul-searching

蒸発 【じょうはつ】 evaporation; unexplained disappearance

ネズミ捕り 【ねずみとり】 （１）rat poison; (2) mousetrap; rattrap; (3) speed trap

9.8.06

生計 【せいけい】 livelihood; living; bread and butter　(を立てる＝make a living)

知る「限り」...as far as I know

Today, we will be covering 限り and its various usages. Basically, 限り alone has a meaning of "limit." This can be used in grammar to convey a meaning of "as long as," "insofar/as far as," "to the extent of~," "to the best of X."

例：　彼女がここにいる限り、俺は満足だろう。

As long as she is here, I'll be satisfied.

例：　僕に関する限り、小泉総理大臣が責任を取らなければならないよ。

As far as I'm concerned, Prime Minister Koizumi must take responsibility.

例：　監督は、力のかぎりでは、チームを頑張らせた。

To the extent of the coach's power, he made the team do it's best.

例；　私の覚えている限りでは、彼は三十一歳だと思う。

To the best of my memory, he is, I think, 31 years old.

Does anyone know how the particle で and the subject marker は are used in this grammar pattern? It seems haphazard and random to me.

The right うえ

Something I never understood well last year was the different usages of うえ・上. But after reading through my 実力ウップ book, I've come to a better understanding of three of the grammar points that use うえ・上. I have not tested them in conversation, and don't know whether they are 日常言葉 or not. (A little help here!)

The three points I have learned are as follows:

１．～うえに

２．～上で・の

３．～上は

１．Let's start with うえに. Sometimes written in hiragana and
not kanji, うえに conveys a meaning of "as well as; in addition;
besides; moreover; not only X, but X." However, I like to take the more
literal meaning associated with it and say "on top of~"

例：　小さな違反をしただけなのに、警察に呼ばれたうえに、大きな罰金を払わせられた。

Although it was only a small violation, I was called by the
police and on top of that, I was made to pay a big
fine.

２．上で is very similar to してから, meaning "after." However, 上で bases the second action (B) on the results of the first (A). Therefore: "Based on the results of A, B" is a close translation.　"Upon doing X, do Y" and "After X, Y" are also acceptable.

例：　よく話し合った上で、結婚するかどうか決めてください

Please decide whether or not to marry after a good discussion.

３．This final point is probably the hardest. 上は is a strong way for the speaker to convey an idea, wish, judgement, guess, etc. It basically means "Since~X" or "When~X." In this sense, it is similar to からには/以上は or とき, respectively.

例：　彼女のことだから、｢浮気しないわ」と言った上は、絶対に浮気しないだろうね。

It's her character, so when she says she won't fool around, she absolutely won't.

Nothing to do but...

Here are a couple of 2kyuu grammar points that have similar
nuances. Out of all of these, I think しかない and なければならない are among the most commonly used out of the below. ざるを得ない and わけにはいかない sound a bit stuffy for me.
As for （より）ほかない, I don't know...

Ｖ + しかない : used in a situation where one has no choice but to do something.

Ｖneg + ざるを得ない : used in a situation where one has no choice but to do something.

Ｖneg + なければならない : used in a situation where one has to do something because s/he has an obligation to do it OR where one has no choice but to do something.

Ｖneg + わけに(は)いかない : used in a situation where one has to do something because s/he has an obligation to do it OR where one has no choice but to do something. It also expresses the unwillingness of the speaker to do Ｖ.

Ｖ/N + （より）ほかない: used in a situation where there is nothing else to do but X.

日本語能力試験へ合格の道

これから、１２月頃まで、日本語能力試験を合格ために、このブログを使おう！できるだけ、文法とか、漢字とか、色々なことを書き込むつもりです。

Stay tuned...