keshokesho
Registered
- 29 Aug 2017
- 11
- 3
- 19
So, I did a little searching on Google about 「も」, a particle that I almost always see with nouns in the style of 「私も猫が好きです」 or a similarly-focused use, for its presence in verbs. This isn't something I see very commonly, since I just started doing more of an effort to witness and explore Japanese in its native habitat rather than usage notes in language lessons.
The curiosity sprung up as I heard the "theme" of the arcade game, Frogger, and laughed because it was actually the childrens' song that I really like, 「いぬのおまわりさん」 which is a story about a dog policeman helping a lost kitten find her home. Realizing it now, it seems like a pretty good choice for Frogger...
Anyway, in the song there are the following lines:
まいごの まいごの こねこちゃん
あなたの おうちは どこですか
おうちを きいても わからない
なまえを きいても わからない
Later on, these lines as well:
まいごの まいごの こねこちゃん
このこの おうちは どこですか
からすに きいても わからない
すずめに きいても わからない
When I last heard this song, I might as well have been a 100% complete n00b. But now I know better and without knowing the absolute literal meaning, I understand the song to a much better degree in a way that feels much more natural, almost like just "getting" it. I don't know if this is what happens when you learn a new language, but it's interesting.
At any rate, the verb here is 「聞いて」 with kanji, it's a て-form of 「聞く」 I'm most assuming, since it's used in succession with the following verb. I could very well be wrong though.
There is some discrepancy with translating that particle. In the first two instances, people say both "even though I asked about your home, you don't know / even though I asked your name, you don't know" and "I asked about your home, but you don't know / I asked about your name, but you don't know". Some disagreement lies on the internet about whether the policeman or the kitten doesn't know, but the second instances are more clear (and so I provided the English that I did previously): "even though I asked the crow (or raven), they don't know / even though I asked the sparrow, they don't know" and "I asked the crow (or raven), but they don't know / I asked the sparrow, but they don't know".
So, I'm curious what do you JREF users think of this usage. I'm not sure about the use of "but" here since there might be a different conjunction to use? I guess the meaning might be pretty similar either way. But the specifics could lead to a better or more effective usage.
Thank you!
The curiosity sprung up as I heard the "theme" of the arcade game, Frogger, and laughed because it was actually the childrens' song that I really like, 「いぬのおまわりさん」 which is a story about a dog policeman helping a lost kitten find her home. Realizing it now, it seems like a pretty good choice for Frogger...
Anyway, in the song there are the following lines:
まいごの まいごの こねこちゃん
あなたの おうちは どこですか
おうちを きいても わからない
なまえを きいても わからない
Later on, these lines as well:
まいごの まいごの こねこちゃん
このこの おうちは どこですか
からすに きいても わからない
すずめに きいても わからない
When I last heard this song, I might as well have been a 100% complete n00b. But now I know better and without knowing the absolute literal meaning, I understand the song to a much better degree in a way that feels much more natural, almost like just "getting" it. I don't know if this is what happens when you learn a new language, but it's interesting.
At any rate, the verb here is 「聞いて」 with kanji, it's a て-form of 「聞く」 I'm most assuming, since it's used in succession with the following verb. I could very well be wrong though.
There is some discrepancy with translating that particle. In the first two instances, people say both "even though I asked about your home, you don't know / even though I asked your name, you don't know" and "I asked about your home, but you don't know / I asked about your name, but you don't know". Some disagreement lies on the internet about whether the policeman or the kitten doesn't know, but the second instances are more clear (and so I provided the English that I did previously): "even though I asked the crow (or raven), they don't know / even though I asked the sparrow, they don't know" and "I asked the crow (or raven), but they don't know / I asked the sparrow, but they don't know".
So, I'm curious what do you JREF users think of this usage. I'm not sure about the use of "but" here since there might be a different conjunction to use? I guess the meaning might be pretty similar either way. But the specifics could lead to a better or more effective usage.
Thank you!