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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Definite article before Japanese words?
Hello. Should I use a definite article before a Japanese word representing a class in an English text?
Examples:
a) The soba [a Japanese noodle] is . . . ("Soba is"?)
b) This paper focuses on the shosetsu [Japanese novel] . . . ("on shosetsu"?)
c) The anime, that is, Japanese animated production . . . ("Anime, that is"?)
Thank you very much!
Examples:
a) The soba [a Japanese noodle] is . . . ("Soba is"?)
b) This paper focuses on the shosetsu [Japanese novel] . . . ("on shosetsu"?)
c) The anime, that is, Japanese animated production . . . ("Anime, that is"?)
Thank you very much!
Top answer
In the US, the article is sometimes used and sometimes not (generally speaking, it is not used), and only with respect to Japanese words that are familiar to Americans; this has to be learned by experience, as it is determined by tradition and established usage, for example: a. ") b. The Japanese word "shosetsu" is unfamiliar in the US and so no tradition has been established with respect to the article.
- In the US, the article is sometimes used and sometimes not (generally speaking, it is not used), and only with respect to Japanese words that are familiar to Americans; this has to be learned by experience, as it is determined by tradition and established usage, for example: a.
- ") b.
- The Japanese word "shosetsu" is unfamiliar in the US and so no tradition has been established with respect to the article.
- " c.
- )
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3 Answers
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In the US, the article is sometimes used and sometimes not (generally speaking, it is not used), and only with respect to Japanese words that are familiar to Americans; this has to be learned by experience, as it is determined by tradition and established usage, for example:
a. "Soba is a kind of Japanese noodle." (The article is not used with this word, except in statements like: "The
a. "Soba is a kind of Japanese noodle." (The article is not used with this word, except in statements like: "The
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Thank you very much for the reply. I am still thinking about it.
For example, suppose that I will use the term 'shosetsu' along my text, instead of 'Japanese novel', and that I will write sentences turning it into a countable noun such as:
a) There is a famous shosetsu dealing with the issue . . .
b) These shosetsu [plural] do not express the Japanese view of obligation
For example, suppose that I will use the term 'shosetsu' along my text, instead of 'Japanese novel', and that I will write sentences turning it into a countable noun such as:
a) There is a famous shosetsu dealing with the issue . . .
b) These shosetsu [plural] do not express the Japanese view of obligation
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AnonymousIn this case, I think that 'the' should be used when 'the shosetsu' means either a specific novel or the entire class of Japanese novels. Am I wrong?You could include 'the' if you refer to a particular example or examples of 'shosetsu'. If you refer to 'shosetsu' in general, you don't need 'the'.
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