PREFACE: This is a nine part series of some important things to keep in mind while studying Japanese
PREFACE: This is a nine part series of some important things to keep in mind while studying Japanese grammar. It’s very different from English, so try not to study it through an “English lens.” To understand grammar points better, it’s really beneficial to learn the characteristics behind Japanese grammar. These notes are taken from A Dictionary of Japanese Grammar. To see the other parts, click here. PS: I’ve decided to skip part 6 (politeness and formality).8. Sound SymbolismGiseigo (onomatopoeia) and gitaigo (words that depict psychological states) are integral in spoken and written language, even for adults. Sound symbolism is an adverb that is sometimes followed by the quotation marker と and a verb that co-occurs with the sound.Voiceless consonants tend to represent something small/light/pretty while voiced consonants represent something big/heavy/dull:きらきら(と光る) : shine sparklinglyぎらぎら(と光る) : shine dazzlinglyころころ(と転がる) : small object rollsごろごろ(と転がる) : heavy object rollsぽたぽた(と落ちる) : small amount of liquid dripsぼたぼた(と落ちる) : large amount of liquid dripsConsonants “k” and “g” tend to represent hardness, sharpness, separation, and sudden change:くっきり(と見える) : be clearly visible きっぱり(と別れる) : separate from people once and for allぽっくり(と死ぬ) : die suddenlyConsonant “s” tends to represent a quiet state. “Sh” consonant seems to represent some quiet human emotion:しとしと(と降る) : rain quietlyしんまり(と話す) : talk quietly/intimatelyしょんぼり(とする) : be despondentConsonant “r” tends to represent fluidity and slipperiness:つるつる(している) : be slipperyぬるぬる(している) : be slimeyConsonants “m” and “n” tend to represent tactility, warmth, and softness:むちむち(している) : be plumpなよなよ(としている) : be slender and delicate“P” tends to represent explosiveness, crispiness, and suddenness:ぴん(とくる) : come in a flashぷい(と出て行く) : leave suddenly“Y” tends to represent weakness, slowness, and softness:よぼよぼ(になる) : become senileよれよれ(になる) : become worn outゆっくり(話す) : speak slowlyやんわり(と言う) : tell softly“U” tends to represent something that has to do with human physiology or psychology:うずうず(する) : itch for actionうんざり(する) : be fed up with“O” tends to represent something negative with regard to human psychology:おずおず(している) : be nervous and timidおどおど(している) : be very nervousFor the complete list of examples, see A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. -- source link
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