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アメリカ人の習慣 / ないのではなかろうか / のべておこう / だって / までしてさ

eeky

先輩
8 Jun 2010
2,431
22
48
Hi,

1. The speaker has been talking about his puzzlement at American habits and customs:

したがって、これはアメリカ人の習慣であるとわりきっ てしまえばそれですむことであったのかもしれない。

When I try to translate this I get some gibberish like: "Therefore, if (someone) ends up explaining/deciding that this is the American custom, perhaps (someone) therefore lived."

What does it mean?


2. しかし日本人だったらよほど親しくなければ、お好きで すかと客にきくことはないのではなかろうか。

My translation: "However, in the case of the Japanese, if they are not on very intimate terms, they may not ask a guest whether they like something."

I simply despair at these combinations like ないのではなかろうか. I guess the main thing I need to know is: does the speaker think that お好きですかと客にきくこと does or does not happen in these circumstances?


3. このことと関連して、アメリカ人がよく使う 'Please help yourself' という挨拶も、英語の会話に馴れるまでは、私の耳にあ まり快くは響かなかったことをのべておこう。

My translation: "On a related subject, I would mention that, until I became familiar with English conversation, the expression "Please help yourself", which is often used by Americans, also did not sound very pleasant to my ears."

Does ~ことをのべておこう mean, more or less, "I would mention that ~"


4. まあ、そんなくそ真面目だから、大学だって、ちゃんと 入れてくれたとこあったのに、自分の絶対行きたい大学 に入ろうと思って、それ蹴って浪人までしてさ・・・。

My translation: "Because of that wretched (serious/earnest/studious) nature (of mine), at university too, even though I had been offered a place, I refused and delayed for a year, thinking I would get into the university that I really wanted."

a) Does だって mean "too/also"?

b) Does とこ refer to 大学 (or a place at 大学)?

c) Is までしてさ = まで・して・さ, with まで emphasising the extreme nature of the speaker's actions?

d) Does それ蹴って mean それを蹴って, with それ referring to the university that offered him the place?

e) Can it be determined from this sentence whether the speaker did actually get to his preferred university in the end?
 
1)
The subject is the writer.
すむ is 済む, not 住む.

2)
The latter. ないのではなかろうか/ないのではないだろうか is almost the same as ないと思う.

3) 4) a)
Yes.

b)
Yes, that's right. とこ is a pronoun which refers to 大学 here.

c) d)
Yes.

e)
No. We can't judge it only from that sentence. It just says that he delayed for a year/years. He might not be able to get into the university he wanted in the end.
 
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