Complicated sentence

Hiya. This sentence is possibly a bit advanced for my present level, but with your help I would like to understand it if I can.

ﾆ段ﾆ段窶堙債、ﾅｽq窶堙??堙?窶堋ｽ窶堋ｿ窶堙娯?堋ｹ窶堋ｫ窶堋ｪﾂ、窶堋ｱ窶堙ｨ窶堙｡窶堋?ﾂ、窶堙吮?堙≫?堙??堋ｨ窶堋ｭ窶堙??ｫ窶堋ｭ窶堙遺?堙ｩ窶堋ｼ窶堙??堋ｩﾂ、窶堙?窶堋､窶堙娯?堙??堙嫁辰窶ｰﾂｺ窶堙ｰﾅ?ﾂｪ窶堋ｩ窶堙遺?堋ｭ窶堋ｿ窶堙｡窶堙遺?堙ｧ窶堙遺?堋｢窶堋ｱ窶堙ｫ窶堋ｾﾂ、窶堙??堋ｩ窶堋｢窶堋､窶堋ｱ窶堙??堙俄?堋ｩ窶堋ｯ窶堙??堙債、窶弖ﾂ催銀?廬窶堙遺?堋ｩ窶堙ｱ窶堋ｪ窶慊ｭ窶堋ｭ窶堙娯?堙??堋ｷﾂ。

Original English version: "She [Nana] had a genius for knowing when a cough is a thing to have no patience with and when it needs a stocking round your throat."

1) What is the function of 窶堋ｪ in ﾅｽq窶堙??堙?窶堋ｽ窶堋ｿ窶堙娯?堋ｹ窶堋ｫ窶堋ｪ? The cough seems to be the object of the actions mentioned, not the subject.

2) Is 窶堋ｱ窶堙ｨ窶堙｡窶堋? a variant of 窶堋ｱ窶堙ｨ窶堙｡? What meaning does it add here?

3) I understand 窶堙吮?堙≫?堙??堋ｨ窶堋ｭ窶堙??ｫ窶堋ｭ窶堙遺?堙ｩ to mean "(the cough) will get worse if left alone". This differs from the original English version, though, so am I correct?

4) I intepreted 窶堋ｼ as adding emphasis. Is this correct?

5) What meaning does 窶堙?窶堋､ add? Does it mean "now", as in "straight away"?

6) Does 窶堋ｱ窶堙ｫ mean "time", as in "the time when a sock must be wrapped around the throat"?

7) Is it correct to parse the central structure of this sentence as "A 窶堙??堋ｩ B 窶堙??堋ｩ" meaning "whether A or B", followed by 窶堋｢窶堋､ + 窶堋ｱ窶堙 + 窶堙 + 窶堋ｩ窶堋ｯ窶堙? meaning "things like or pertaining to the alternatives that have just been explained"? I groan whenever I hit a 窶堋ｩ窶堋ｯ窶堙 because it seems this verb can mean almost anything you like.

8) The words 窶堋ｹ窶堋ｫ and 窶堋ｩ窶堙ｱ are emphasised with 窶典窶彑. If I understand the purpose of these marks correctly, in English this would be strange. It would be like writing "She had a genius for knowing when a cough is a thing..." Any ideas why these words should be emphasised in the Japanese? (There appears to be nothing relevant to this question in the surrounding context.)

1) It's the subject of ﾋ?ｫ窶堋ｭ窶堙遺?堙ｩ. 窶ｰﾂｽ窶堋ｪﾋ?ｫ窶堋ｭ窶堙遺?堙ｩ窶堙個？ﾅ?P窶堋ｪﾂ。

2) Yeah, it's just with a lengthened final vowel. It makes the utterance more emotional (in this instance at least), like something important is following. At least that's my feeling. Someone else could probably give a better explanation.

3) Yes, you are correct.

4) Yeah, it's typically a male sentence-final particle, similar to 窶堙ｦ, but I believe devoid of the opinion-giving aspect. Of course, women can use it too, but it's less common, and generally reserved for motivating themselves or others, I think. Again, probably more there that I'm missing/forgetting.

5) It shows a change of state from not needing to wrap a sock around the throat to needing to wrap a sock around the throat. So it was fine not to do it a little while ago, but now we need to.

6) Yes. It's like the "time" in "it's about that time" or "around this time..."

7) Yeah, but not as "whether A or B," as "when it comes to things like A and B..." X窶堙俄?堋ｩ窶堋ｯ窶堙??堙 is a set expression to show that a person is ahead of the curve at X, or that something is outstanding/extraordinary when it comes to X and things like that.

8) I don't know what to say about this one. I feel like I'd have to read the story to get an idea.

Thanks Glenn, that's very helpful.

eeky said:

8) The words 窶堋ｹ窶堋ｫ and 窶堋ｩ窶堙ｱ are emphasised with 窶典窶彑. If I understand the purpose of these marks correctly, in English this would be strange. It would be like writing "She had a genius for knowing when a cough is a thing..." Any ideas why these words should be emphasised in the Japanese? (There appears to be nothing relevant to this question in the surrounding context.)

Click to expand...

Probably the writer shows that they are a "word" (i.e., not a conjugation suffix or like that) instead of using unfamiliar kanji for learners (i.e., ﾅ?P and ﾅ?ﾂｨ). That's another usage of 窶典窶彑.

Toritoribe said:

Probably the writer shows that they are a "word" (i.e., not a conjugation suffix or like that) instead of using unfamiliar kanji for learners (i.e., ﾅ?P and ﾅ?ﾂｨ). That's another usage of 窶典窶彑.

Click to expand...

Aha. That makes sense, and also explains several other seemingly odd uses of this notation that I have encountered in this text.