Concept of plural form in Japanese
First, a Japanese noun doesn't have the concept of the plural form basically.
For instance, there is no plural form of "Apple" in Japanese though the plural form of "Apple" in English is "Apples".
"An apple, the apple, apples"
In Japanese, the word to these has only "りんご(ringo)
For instance, question; "What is this?"
If it is not a question "How many apples are there?", the Japanese will answer only as "ringo".
In Japanese, "Singular and plurals" is not important for other "Noun that can be counted" either".
Second, though "Number" and "Article" should be attached to the noun in English, they are not so necessary for Japanese.
1. For instance, five apples are here.
If you are asked to someone "What this is?", you will answer like this surely.
"They are five apples."
But, almost all Japanese will answer, "That is an apple".
(Strictly speaking, Japanese people's concept is "That is apple")
2. For instance, here is a word "an apple".
If the Japanese are asked to someone "What this is", almost all Japanese will answer, "that is apple".
"How many are the number of these apples?"
The Japanese answer the number of apples if it is questioned like this.
When "Number" is not a subject, the Japanese doesn't think about the number so much.
"Noun" and "Number of nouns" are irrelevant as long as "Number of things" is not a purpose in Japanese.
Third, the distinction between "Word" and "Object" doesn't exist in Japanese.
In other words, in English, it is said to be "The word isn't the object" , but Japanese doesn't have such concept.
Therefore, even if it is "Object", it is "りんご(ringo)[Apple]" in Japanese.
And even if it is "Word", it is "りんご(ringo)[Apple]" in Japanese.
"Is this a object or a word?"
If it is not such a question, they are all "ringo" in Japanese.
Particular plural form in Japanese
I said Japanese noun doesn't have the concept of the plural form.
But, the plural form in a very particular form exists in Japanese.
That's a particular noun that is called 畳語(jougo)[Reduplication].
They are two or more expressions of Japanese, and the shape used only in a specific word in the narrow scope.
Reduplication, in linguistics, is a morphological process by which the root or stem of a word, or part of it, is repeated.
Japanese noun jougo |
Pronunciation |
English |
|
|---|---|---|---|
山々 |
yama yama | Mountains | |
人々 |
hito bito | People | |
国々 |
kuni guni | Countries | |
村々 |
mura mura | Villages | |
家々 |
ie ie | Houses | |
我々 |
ware ware | We | |
神々 |
kami gami | Gods | |
木々 |
kigi | Trees | |
皆々 |
mina mina | All | |
日々 |
hibi | Every day | |
品々 |
shina jina | Articles | |
節々 |
hushi bushi | Joints | |
Above-mentioned Jougo is often used in Japan.
Japanese concept to "Thing and person who can count".
The rule in expression to the following exists in English, but it doesn't exist in Japanese.
- Apple juice ... it is not counted.
- Apple ... it is counted.
- Specific apple ... it is counted.
In Japanese, these are all "りんご(ringo)"
The rule in the expression to "Thing that cannot be counted", "Thing and person who can count", and "Specific thing and specific person who can count" doesn't exist in Japanese.
By the way, there is three kinds of scripts of "Hiragana", "Katakana", and "Kanji" in Japanese.
Almost all the Japanese uses the hiragana and the katakana about the character "Apple".
It is because it is easy to write.
Japanese Scripts |
Pronunciation |
|
|---|---|---|
| Hiragana | りんご | ringo |
| Katakana | リンゴ | |
| Kanji | 林檎 | |
"Scene for which Japanese uses plural form of noun" and "Convenient word to express plural form of noun in Japanese"
I described, "Almost all Japanese do not express the number of nouns".
"How does the Japanese talk without using the plural form ?"
"How does the Japanese write sentences without using the plural form?"
You might have such a doubt.
And there is a convenient word that supplements the inconvenience though the noun in Japanese doesn't basically have the plural form.
That's "tachi" and "ra".
In general, "tachi" is used by living creatures and the fish, etc.
English |
Japanese |
|---|---|
| The teachers were surprised. | その 先生たち は 驚いた。 sono sensei-tachi wa odoroira |
| The men were thief. | その 男達 は 泥棒 だった。 sono otoko-tachi wa dorobou datta. |
| A lot of dolphins are swimming in the sea. | たくさん の イルカたち が 海で 泳いでいる。 takusan no iruka-tachi ga umide oyoideiru. |
| All pandas in this zoo are full of energy. | この 動物園 の パンダたち は みんな 元気 いっぱい です。 kono doubutsuen no panda-tachi wa minna genki ippai desu. |
*Both "たち[tachi]" and "達[tachi]" are the same meanings.
*It is not used besides the living thing.
English |
Japanese |
|---|---|
| They have been all arrested. | 彼ら は皆、逮捕 されました。 written language |
| The students were ordered to stay on the campus. | 学生ら は 構内 に 足止め された。 gakusei-ra wa kounai ni ashidome sareta. written language |
| I questioned them in detail about the source of the money. | 俺は 奴ら に 金 の 出所 を 問いただした。 ore wa yatsu-ra ni kane no dedokoro wo toitadashita. slang word |
| To Diet members in Japan; You are all fools. | 日本の国会議員たちへ；おまえらはみんなアホだ。 nihon no kokkai-giin tachi he; omae-ra wa minna aho da. slang word |
*Both "ら[ra]" and "等[ra]" are the same meanings.
*It is not used besides the living thing.
*"ra" is used by chiefly two scenes.
- Case used in written language by newspaper, magazine, and news report, etc.
- Case used as slang word.
"Article" doesn't exist in countries of a lot of Asia.
Clear difference of Japanese and English; it is existence of "Article".
Because there is not an article in Japanese, the sign word that corresponds to "a" and "the" doesn't exist.
So, Japanese's usage of the article in English is very unskilled generally. (I am also similar.)
Such a grammar doesn't exist in Japanese though the article in English is put on "Specific thing and person".
Look at the example sentence, please.
Because the article such as "a" and "the" doesn't exist in Japanese, concept of article isn't necessary on your learning Japanese.
<To Japanese teachers>: 日本人の数に対する感覚
日本人以外の方で日本語教師をされておられる方で、「日本語の複数形」について疑問をお持ちの方がいらっしゃいましたら参考になさって下さい。
（何しろ、私の英語は「英語」と呼べないくらいのヘタクソな英語なので。）
日本語には「決まった形の複数形」の名詞が無いということは当然わかってらっしゃると思います。
考えてみると、私たち日本人は非常にあいまいな表現ばかりを使って事物に対する説明をしています。
「今日さぁ、すっごいカラスがいてさぁ」(I have witnessed a lot of crows this morning.)
「ちょっとだけケーキ食べちゃった」(I ate the cake just a little.)
「輪ゴム何本かとってくれる？」(Could you pass the few rubber bands to me?)
などと、敢えて質問しなければ具体的な数量がわからないような表現ばかりを使っています。
そんなだから、学校で英語の学習をし始めるようになると、英語の数に対する規則正しさに違和感を覚えたりもします。
「だいたい」、「若干（じゃっかん）」、「くらい（ぐらい）」、「けっこう」、「マジ（若者言葉）」、「すごく（すごい）」などどいったあいまいな言葉を日本人は好んで使いたがります。
「それはなぜ？」
と聞かれたところで、それはきっと【そういう国民性】としか説明のしようがありません。
言えることは、「はっきりと断言すること（特に意見や主張に対しては）」を日本人は無意識に避けようとする癖を持っているからでしょう。
それはものの数量に対しても同様です。
ですから、日本語の場合、具体的な数が本題でない限りは上記のような「あいまい表現」を使って話すのが日本ではふつうです。（正しい日本語であるかどうかは別として）
そして聞き手が「何人ぐらい？」「何本くらい？」と質問してはじめて「具体的な数量（それでもしつこくあいまいさを残しながら）」を答える、といった具合です。
何かを「ただでもらう時」などは、人にもよりますが、
「何枚差し上げましょうか？」と聞かれた場合、日本人はたいがい
「じゃあ、２～３枚下さい」とあいまいに答えます。
【２～３枚欲しい】と言われたらどうします？
「２枚なのか３枚なのかハッキリしてくれよ！」と思うのではないですか？
さてその場合、日本人同士はどのようにしているのでしょう。
日本人は【２～３枚欲しい】と言われると、たいがい「３枚以上」くれるんですね。
本当は３枚欲しいけど、相手に遠慮して【２～３枚欲しい】と言うのです。
そういう気持ちはお互いにわかってるので、「３枚以上」くれるんです。
なぜか「じゃあ３枚下さい」とハッキリ言う人は少ないのです。
話が少し逸れてしまいましたが、日本人ってホントに変な人種だとつくづく思います（笑）
Hararie
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