<noun1> が <adj> <noun2>

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eeky

先輩

8 Jun 2010

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• 16 Mar 2012

• #1

This is a question about phrases of the form "<noun1> が <adj> <noun2>".

Take, for example, 頭が痛い様子, which I'm hoping is correct Japanese and means (literally) "condition in which one's head hurts".

Here, the semantic relationship between the modified and modifying parts is "～ in which ～". What other types of relationship are possible? Could anyone give some simple examples?

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

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• 16 Mar 2012

• #2

That means "appears to have a headache".

 

E

eeky

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• #3

Isn't "<noun1> が <adj> <noun2>" a noun?

 

undrentide

Japa'n vagyok

18 Jan 2006

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• 16 Mar 2012

• #4

"<noun1> が <adj>" is a clause that modifies <noun2>.
The clause can be anything - <noun1>を<verb> is also possible, for example.

屋根が赤い家
（私が）好きな家
リンゴを食べる犬
人になつかない犬
etc.

 

E

eeky

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• #5

Thanks undrentide, yes, I understand that "<noun1> が <adj>" modifies <noun2>, and I understand, in broad terms, how these modification clauses work, in this and other cases. What I am asking about here is the different types of relationships between "<noun1> が <adj>" and "<noun2>" that can be expressed in this way. What I tend to do in such cases is to just guess at any relationship that makes sense, without fully understanding what the potential meanings might be.

For example, I assume that 屋根が赤い家 means "house with a red roof" or "house which has a red roof". Here the basic relationship is "～ which has ～". However, 頭が痛い様子 presumably cannot mean "appearance/condition which has a painful head", which would be the analogous phrase in English.

My reply to Mike above was written in a rush, and I think it is not very clear. My understanding is/was that the whole of "<noun1> が <adj> <noun2>" functions grammatically as a noun phrase, just as "house with a red roof" does in English. Therefore I did not understand how 頭が痛い様子 can mean "appears to have a headache", as it seems to be the wrong part of speech.

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

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• #6

I know you're tired of hearing me say it....

 

E

eeky

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• #7

Hearing you say what?

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

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• #8

That a tendency to get hung up on forcing things into literal translations is the main obstacle to your progress.

 

E

eeky

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• #9

Don't worry about it ... I am not interested in producing literal English translations for their own sake. In fact, I could not care less about English translations at all, per se. What I am interested in is understanding, as precisely as possible, the meaning and structure of the Japanese sentences that I read. However, the only medium in which I can discuss these things is English. I would love to be able to discuss Japanese using the Japanese language itself, but unfortunately that is not going to be possible any time soon.

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

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• 17 Mar 2012

• #10

様子 performs as a noun but works more likely as an adjective just like よう.

彼は沈んだ様子だ。
He seems depressed.


頭が痛い様子 is an outside relation. I think it's close to "appearance that one has headache" in English.

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E

eeky

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• #11

Toritoribe said:

頭が痛い様子 is an outside relation. I think it's close to "appearance that one has headache" in English.

Click to expand...

Thanks Toritoribe, that makes sense to me.

Your knack of remembering old threads is quite amazing. I only wish that I was equally good at remembering the answers to previous questions that I've asked!