Grammatical role of なん

E

eeky

先輩

8 Jun 2010

2,431

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• 8 Jun 2010

• #1

Hi.

今日も、また残業なんですよ。 ("More overtime again today!")

I get the gist of this OK, but I'd like to understand the exact grammatical role of なん a little better. Can anyone help explain this?

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

Moderator

Fifteen-year veteran

22 Feb 2008

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• 8 Jun 2010

• #2

なんです is a colloquial form of なのです.

な: the adjectival form of the copula だ
ん: The following thread might be helpful.

The "redundant" "n" before "da" and "desu" | Japan Forum

 

E

eeky

先輩

8 Jun 2010

2,431

22

• 8 Jun 2010

• Thread starter
• #3

Thanks Toritoribe. I am happy with ん now. Can you explain why we use な here and not だ? Would だんです or だのです be grammatical in this sentence? Grammatical ever?

 

Glenn

一切皆苦

8 Jan 2004

7,842

200

• 8 Jun 2010

• #4

Grammatical never. It's the same reason it's なのに and not だのに: basically だ becomes な before の. I can't think of a good example with なのは or なのを etc. right now, though.

 

M

masaegu

先輩

16 Aug 2007

247

27

• 10 Jun 2010

• #5

eeky said:

今日も、また残業なんですよ。 ("More overtime again today!")
I get the gist of this OK, but I'd like to understand the exact grammatical role of なん a little better. Can anyone help explain this?

Click to expand...

Not sure why no one has explained what's specifically been asked. This person isn't asking for the parsing.

なの（colloquially なん） serves to indicate that the speaker is bringing "news" to the listener.

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

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Fifteen-year veteran

22 Feb 2008

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• 10 Jun 2010

• #6

As explained in the thread I quoted in my previous post, のです/んです shows a kind of "explanation."
(the usage #1 in the following link)

「の」の検索結果 - Yahoo!辞書

今日飲みに行きませんか？
今日もまた残業なんですよ。(So I can't.)

This is just from の（だ/です） and not from なの.

今日飲みに行きませんか？
今日もまた残業させられるんですよ。

 

Glenn

一切皆苦

8 Jan 2004

7,842

200

• 10 Jun 2010

• #7

The OP did also say "I am happy with ん now."...