もの / 引っ越し / いいわよって / ～える

[eeky]

Hi,


1. ポールは会計報告の裏面操作について知識があったので、そ の隠れた才能を発揮して必要なものを全て手に入れてい た。

Translation given: "Paul's knowledge of creative bookkeeping has been the secret of his ability to get all the staffing he needs."

Does もの mean staffing (i.e. people) here? In the Japanese could it also mean any other (unspecified) things?


2. ええ、茶わんを包んだり本を箱につめたり、みんなやっ て、しかも引っ越し先に着いたら、運んできた物を出し て、使いやすいように並べてくれるんです。

Translation given: "Right. They wrap up the teacups and rice bowls, put books in boxes ... do everything. Then, when they get to the new place, they take everything out of the boxes and arrange them for easy access."

In the text, the 越 of 引っ越 has furigana こし, apparently making 引っ越し = ひっこしし. Is this a mistake? Or is 引っ越 really ひっこし by itself, with the second し having some other function?


3. ああ、いいわよって言いたいところだけど、だめね。

Translation given: "I'd like to say I'd help you, but I'm in the same boat."

What is いいわよって? I guess って could be quoting, but still I don't get いいわよ.


4. From a textbook note:

"The -eru of omoidasareru has the meaning of a natural, spontaneous reaction. Nakeru (started crying) is the same."

I thought 思い出される was the passive form of 思い出す. What does this have to do with 泣ける? Is it referring to some more hidden etymological connection maybe?

 

[undrentide]

1. ポールは会計報告の裏面操作について知識があったので、その隠れた才能を発揮して必要なものを全て手に入れていた。
Translation given: "Paul's knowledge of creative bookkeeping has been the secret of his ability to get all the staffing he needs."
Does もの mean staffing (i.e. people) here? In the Japanese could it also mean any other (unspecified) things?

もの should be staffing but to me the translation itself sounds weird, as usually もの refers to things, not people.
But it really depends on the context.

2. ええ、茶わんを包んだり本を箱につめたり、みんなやって、しかも引っ越し先に着いたら、運んできた物を出して、使いやすいように並べてくれるんです。
Translation given: "Right. They wrap up the teacups and rice bowls, put books in boxes ... do everything. Then, when they get to the new place, they take everything out of the boxes and arrange them for easy access."
In the text, the 越 of 引っ越 has furigana こし, apparently making 引っ越し = ひっこしし. Is this a mistake? Or is 引っ越 really ひっこし by itself, with the second し having some other function?

引越、引越し、引っ越し; all of them are pronounced as "hikkoshi".
Often in case of noun, no okurigana is used and when it is a verb (noun + suru type), we add okurigana.
話 (hanashi, noun)
話し (hanashi, verb for te-form) ＜話す

3. ああ、いいわよって言いたいところだけど、だめね。
Translation given: "I'd like to say I'd help you, but I'm in the same boat."
What is いいわよって? I guess って could be quoting, but still I don't get いいわよ.

わ is a suffix often used by female, make it sound softer.

よ is also a suffix, to add some feelings.

よ［終助間助格助］の意味 - goo国語辞書
*see [1]

If it's いいよ, that sounds like it is something said by a man.

4. From a textbook note:
"The -eru of omoidasareru has the meaning of a natural, spontaneous reaction. Nakeru (started crying) is the same."
I thought 思い出される was the passive form of 思い出す. What does this have to do with 泣ける? Is it referring to some more hidden etymological connection maybe?

Here -eru means "despite onself".
思い出す to remember (often one try to do so)
思い出される to remember (something made one to remember, even though the one does not try to remember)
泣く to cry (be cause one is sad, unhappy, etc.)
泣ける to cry (though one does not intend to cry)

 

[Toritoribe]

2)
As @undrentide -san wrote, that's just a typo. ひっこしさき is correct.

4)
自発(Spontaneous) refers to the passive form of transitive verbs that express emotion/sense in the narrow sense(e.g. 感じられる, 悔やまれる, 思われる), but the term is also used for the potential forms in the wide sense(e.g. 家が焼けた, コップが割れた, 海が見える). 泣ける corresponds to this usage.
As you can see in my examples, this spontaneous usage of potential forms usually occurs on transitive verbs. 泣ける would be an exception, I suppose. (Incidentally, these verbs in the examples often treat as an indipendent verb, not a conjugation of the original.)

 

[eeky]

Thanks guys.

自発(Spontaneous) refers to the passive form of transitive verbs that express emotion/sense in the narrow sense(e.g. 感じられる, 悔やまれる, 思われる)

So if I say Aが感じられる, for example, does that mean "A feels" (i.e. active in English), but with a more spontaneous and "despite oneself" sense than Aが感じる? Could it ever mean "A is felt" (i.e. a proper passive)?

the term is also used for the potential forms in the wide sense(e.g. 家が焼けた, コップが割れた, 海が見える). 泣ける corresponds to this usage.
As you can see in my examples, this spontaneous usage of potential forms usually occurs on transitive verbs. 泣ける would be an exception, I suppose. (Incidentally, these verbs in the examples often treat as an indipendent verb, not a conjugation of the original.)

Do you mean, for example, that 焼ける was originally the potential of 焼く but then acquired a sort of independent life in the sense of "spontaneously burn"? Is there now a separate potential form 焼ける that actually does mean "is able to burn"?

 

[Toritoribe]

So if I say Aが感じられる, for example, does that mean "A feels" (i.e. active in English), but with a more spontaneous and "despite oneself" sense than Aが感じる? Could it ever mean "A is felt" (i.e. a proper passive)?

That form is the passive form of spontaneous meaning, thus, が indicates the thing that is felt, and に/には is for the one who feels it.
e.g.
（私は）不気味な気配を感じた。
（私には）不気味な気配が感じられた。

彼女のことを思い出す。
彼女のことが思い出される。

Do you mean, for example, that 焼ける was originally the potential of 焼く but then acquired a sort of independent life in the sense of "spontaneously burn"?

These sets of verbs (焼く - 焼ける, 割る - 割れる, 見る - 見える/見られる) are ususlly treated as "transitive - intransitive" pairs.
Linguista say that spontaneous is considered the initial usage and other meanings (potential, passive, honorific) are derived from it.

Is there now a separate potential form 焼ける that actually does mean "is able to burn"?

The spontaneous form is the same to the potential or passive form. The meaning depends on the context, as always.

彼は空手を習っているので、瓦が/を割れる。(potential, transitive)
雷が落ちて、瓦が割れた。(spontaneous, intransitive)
(Note: を can't be used in this usage.)

現場にいたので、彼は警察に犯人だと思われている。 (passive)
警察は彼を疑っていると思われる。(spontaneous)

another example
実は、日本語のクラスで... / あのう、ミラーさんは...

 

[eeky]

That form is the passive form of spontaneous meaning

Sorry, for some unknown reason I failed to read the word "passive" in your original post!

These sets of verbs (焼く - 焼ける, 割る - 割れる, 見る - 見える/見られる) are ususlly treated as "transitive - intransitive" pairs.
Linguista say that spontaneous is considered the initial usage and other meanings (potential, passive, honorific) are derived from it.

That's interesting... I didn't know of this connection before.