Japanese Learning 1

0x00 Intro

This is a new series where I take notes of interesting uses of grammar I come across when I learn Japanese. Unlike other computer science posts in this blog, the bar of this series is very low. For computer science posts, my aims are to write something novel and to avoid writing another post full of excitement just because I learnt a new thing that is from some undergrad course. For this Japanese series, it is more of my (naive) personal collection.

0x01 The Sample

The sample sentence that is interesting is from a book, 表参道のセレブ犬とカバーニャ要塞の野良犬, I bought at Haneda Airport. The sentence goes: タイムズスクエア周辺には、日本では見ないようなド派手な広告ビジョンがひしめいていた。

0x02 Review: よう

よう has haunted me for long and this time I have to get it right. To distinguish different uses, I will refer to the Japanese Grammar Guide. The following examples are all from the book.

There are a few uses:

Appearance of Manner

よう as a generic noun: appearance, manner. It is a way of modifying a verb with another verb. Conjugation Rule: V + よう + に + V Examples:

毎⽇、⾁を⾷べるようにする。  
I will try to eat meat everyday.  

[with なる could indicate change of feasibility]
⽇本に来て、寿司が⾷べられるようになった。
After coming to Japan, I became able to eat sushi.

Casual Volitional Form (ru-verb)

For ru-verbs: Example: ⾷べる → ⾷べよう For u-verbs: Example: ⼊る → ⼊ろう Btw: Volition Form + とする means attempt to do something

Similarity

よう is still a noun in this sense and means “like”. For this one, the conjugation follows that of nouns. Pre: Na-adj + な N + の V Post: な + N に + V だ

あの⼈を⾒たような気がした。 Had a feeling like I saw that person before. 彼は学⽣のような雰囲気ですね。 He has a student-like atmosphere. ちょっと怒ったように聞こえた。 Was able to hear it like (she) was a little mad. 何も起こらなかったように⾔った。 Said (it) like nothing happened.

0x03 見ないよう

… 日本では見ないようなド派手な広告ビジョン …

The sample translate into “the area around Times Square was packed with the kind of incredibly flashy digital billboards that you don’t see in Japan”.

My question with this is that to describe one could not see this in Japan, why not put it like

1. ~見えない広告ビジョン〜
2. 〜見たことない広告ビジョン〜
3. 〜見たことないような広告ビジョン〜
4. 〜見ない広告ビジョン〜

For 1, it actually means physically not able to see (e.g. too far away), which doesn’t make sense logically. For 2, the nuance is a statement of a fact. It translates into digital billboards that I have never seen. For 3, the nuance is categorical. Digital billboards of a kind that I have never seen. For 4, the nuance is that it could also mean digital billboards that people in Japan actively avoid seeing.

0x04 ていた

… ひしめいていた

Another confusion is that it is a matter of fact at the past the digital billboards gathered at the square, so simple past tense should be applicable. However, it uses past stative.

The nuance with ひしめいた is that it focuses on the action that transited from the state that buildings did not gather there to the state of gathering. This is logically wrong because the building could not gather there all of a sudden.

The nuance with ひしめいていた is that it focuses on the state that the buildings are gathering.

ドアが開いた - The door opened. The focus is on the action of transitioning from “closed” to “open”. ドアが開いていた - The door was open. The focus is on the state.