- 22 Jun 2012
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What grammar does おそくまで use? Or is it an idiom?
遅くまで
- Thread starter Per Magnusson
- Start date
- 22 Feb 2008
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the -ku form 遅い + a particle まで
The -ku form of some kind of i-adjectives can be used as a noun, e.g., 遠く（＝遠い場所）にある, 多く（＝多くのもの/こと, 大部分）が間違っている. Thus, 遅く means 遅い時間 in this case.
The -ku form of some kind of i-adjectives can be used as a noun, e.g., 遠く（＝遠い場所）にある, 多く（＝多くのもの/こと, 大部分）が間違っている. Thus, 遅く means 遅い時間 in this case.
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- 22 Jun 2012
- 6
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- Thread starter
- #3
I see.
Are those nominalization irregular or is there some kind of logical rule that binds them together?
As you say, I can recall having heard (and myself using them for that matter) 遠く and 遅く as nouns in some sentences, but I cant remember having heard any others. Does there exist any others?
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- 22 Feb 2008
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It's said that only a few -ku forms perfom as a noun; 遠く, 近く, 早く, 遅く, 古く or 多く. Some other -ku forms, e.g., 高く, 深く also can be used in some cases, e.g. with adverbs or nouns; 風船は、かなり高くまで上がって割れた, 胸の奥深くが痛んだ. As you can see, they are locative or temporal adjectives except 多く. Plus, interestingly, the couterparts of the pairs 新しく, 低く, 浅く or 少なく can't have this usage.
