大した進歩も認められなかった... / そこで彼が言うには ...

[eeky]

Hiya,

1. The writer has been describing his slow-paced and unsatisfactory Chinese lessons.

大した進歩も認められなかったものの、一方で、毎日の ように李君と一緒に昼食を食べ、彼から今度は唐時代の 時の説明を受けたりしていた。

My translation: "Although I did not notice any great progress (lit. no great progress was noticed), I did, on the other hand, have lunch every day with Mr Ri, who explained to me about such things as the time of the Tang dynasty (lit. I received explanations from Mr Ri about...)."

a) What does のように mean here?

b) What does 今度 mean here?


2. The writer is telling of a conversation with another man who had forgotten most of the Japanese that he once knew.

そこで彼が言うには、自分には山に別荘があるから、そ こへ日本人の家庭教師を招いて日本語を勉強してみたい と思う、一人だとサボるだろうし、二、三人で励まし合 いながら学んでみないか、と私にも日本語を勧めてきた 。

I find this quite a daunting sentence. Below I've written what I've got so far, but I'm hoping someone can correct it and fill in the missing parts.


そこで彼が言うには = ??

自分には山に別荘があるから = since he had a holiday home in the mountains [自分 refers to the other person, not the writer, right?]

そこへ日本人の家庭教師を招いて = he had invited a Japanese tutor there

日本語を勉強してみたいと思う = and thought he would like to try to study Japanese

一人だとサボるだろうし = (but) he thought that if he was by himself he would probably idle away his time

二、三人で励まし合いながら学んでみないか = (so) why not try studying along with the encouragement of two or three other people [who is the subject of 励まし合いながら?]

と = thus (i.e. by saying what he did)

私にも日本語を勧めて = (he) recommended Japanese to me also (i.e. recommended that I also study it)

きた = ??

 

[Toritoribe]

1. The writer has been describing his slow-paced and unsatisfactory Chinese lessons.
大した進歩も認められなかったものの、一方で、毎日の ように李君と一緒に昼食を食べ、彼から今度は唐時代の 時の説明を受けたりしていた。
My translation: "Although I did not notice any great progress (lit. no great progress was noticed), I did, on the other hand, have lunch every day with Mr Ri, who explained to me about such things as the time of the Tang dynasty (lit. I received explanations from Mr Ri about...)."

Isn't it a typo/misread of 唐時代の詩 or "the poetry in the Tang dynasty"?

a) What does のように mean here?

毎日のように: almost everyday(lit. like everyday/as if it were everyday)

b) What does 今度 mean here?

今度は: in this time(as the opposite to the previous time)

In the previous sentence, the speaker was taught another thing besides the poetry by Mt.Li, or the speaker tought something to Mr.Li, wasn't he?

2. The writer is telling of a conversation with another man who had forgotten most of the Japanese that he once knew.
そこで彼が言うには、自分には山に別荘があるから、そ こへ日本人の家庭教師を招いて日本語を勉強してみたい と思う、一人だとサボるだろうし、二、三人で励まし合 いながら学んでみないか、と私にも日本語を勧めてきた 。
I find this quite a daunting sentence. Below I've written what I've got so far, but I'm hoping someone can correct it and fill in the missing parts.

The whole sentences " 自分には山に別荘があるから、そこへ日本人の家庭教師 を招いて日本語を勉強してみたいと思う、一人だとサボ るだろうし、二、三人で励まし合いながら学んでみない か" are all his words, just as he said.

そこで彼が言うには = ??

So he said ~

自分には山に別荘があるから = since he had a holiday home in the mountains [自分 refers to the other person, not the writer, right?]

自分 referes to the speaker or 彼. (自分 can be used as 私.)

二、三人で励まし合いながら学んでみないか = (so) why not try studying along with the encouragement of two or three other people [who is the subject of 励まし合いながら?]

That's 二、三人 or "we" including 彼 and 私.

二、三人で（お互いに = "each other"）励まし合いながら

と = thus (i.e. by saying what he did)

the quotation particle

私にも日本語を勧めて = (he) recommended Japanese to me also (i.e. recommended that I also study it)
きた = ??

勧めてきた: the same nuance to 尋ねてきた.

 

[eeky]

Thanks Toritoribe.

Isn't it a typo/misread of 唐時代の詩 or "the poetry in the Tang dynasty"?

Yes, sorry, I misread it.

今度は: in this time(as the opposite to the previous time)
In the previous sentence, the speaker was taught another thing besides the poetry by Mt.Li, or the speaker tought something to Mr.Li, wasn't he?

In the previous sentence the writer is talking about his Chinese lessons in the classroom, and how they were slow and laborious. Mr Li has not previously been mentioned, but do you think that it's maybe implied that Mr Li is also the classroom teacher?

Afterthought: Or perhaps 今度は is just contrasting the lunchtime conversation with the lessons, even if Mr Li was not the classroom teacher?

So he said ~

Could you explain the purpose of に here in そこで彼が言うには?

That's 二、三人 or "we" including 彼 and 私.

If 二、三人 (or "we") is the subject, then could you explain the use of で in 二、三人で励まし合いながら... Why not が?

 

[Toritoribe]

In the previous sentence the writer is talking about his Chinese lessons in the classroom, and how they were slow and laborious. Mr Li has not previously been mentioned, but do you think that it's maybe implied that Mr Li is also the classroom teacher?

君 is used as a title for "colleague", thus, 李君 is not a teacher but a fellow college student (probably form China).

Afterthought: Or perhaps 今度は is just contrasting the lunchtime conversation with the lessons

Yeah, that seems correct.

Could you explain the purpose of に here in そこで彼が言うには?

～が言うには is, I suppose, a kind of set phrase meaning "what ~ said is...". It's an expression preceding a quotation. Interestingly, any other verbs besides 言う, 語る, 話す or like that don't have this meaning, i.e., 彼がするには doesn't mean "what he did is...". I'm not sure but it would be from classical Japanese.

If 二、三人 (or "we") is the subject, then could you explain the use of で in 二、三人で励まし合いながら... Why not が?

The key is the compound verb ～合う. …で～合う means "to do ~ (to) each other among...".
e.g.
友達同士で助け合った
We helped each other among friends.(We = friends)

味方同士で撃ち合ってしまった
We/they shot to each other among the same side.(We/they = people in the same side)

Or, we can simply think it as the subject omission, since the subject is obvious from "…で". (が is acceptable, but sounds as a more objective expression than で.)

私にも日本語を勧めて = (he) recommended Japanese to me also (i.e. recommended that I also study it)
きた = ??

In addition to this, ～てくる expresses an action/movement is done towards the speaker/writer, not only a physical action/movement. Thus, it emphasizes that he recommended it to me.

 

[eeky]

Thank you.