Languages & Cultures of East Asia

Trad 101, Sections 18-19-20-21   Fall 2000


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Lecture Outline, 11/20/00 - Syntax-- Japanese and Korean

1) review

word order

noun ellipsis
     can't go tonight

classifiers (measure words)
     two cups of coffee

topic – comment
     That movie, I saw already.

definite and indefinite articles

adjectives vs. verbs 
     e.g., square
     He is very square.
     This student first squared the number, then divided by six.

demonstratives

negative questions
     Aren't you going to school today?

plurals

gender and animacy dintinction in pronouns

2) Japanese and Korean

1. The basic word order in Japanese and Korean is ____________.

ko-yang-i-ga cwi-reul meog-eot-ta (Korean)
cat               mouse  ate
The cat ate the/a mouse.

neko-ga nezumi-o tabeta (Japanese)
cat        mouse    ate
The cat ate the/a mouse.

cwi-reul ko-yang-i-ga meog-eot-ta (Korean)
mouse    cat             ate
The cat ate the/a mouse.

nezumi-o neko-ga tabeta (Japanese)
mouse     cat       ate
The cat ate the/a mouse.

2. noun ellipsis

A: nani tabeta? B: raamen (tabeta).
    What ate         ramen    ate
What did you eat? I ate ramen.

4. topic -- comment

neko-ga nezumi-o tabeta (Japanese)
cat       mouse     ate
The cat ate the/a mouse.

nezumi-wa neko-ga tabeta
As for the mouse, the cat ate it.

neko-wa nezumi-o tabeta
As for the cat, it ate the mouse.

neko-wa nezumi-ga tabeta
As for the cat, the mouse ate it.

nezumi-wa neko-o tabeta
As for the mouse, it ate the cat.

kinoo-wa neko-ga nezumi-o tabeta
As for yesterday, the cat ate the mouse.

3. classifiers (measure words)

ippai 'one-drink'
ippon 'one-long.object'
ichidai 'one-machine'
ichimai 'one-flat.object'

pencil, photo, sake, car, beef steak, skewered beef, soup, computer, leg

6. adjectives

Cho-t'a It is good. (Korean)
Cho-at-ta It was good. (Korean)

Kono hon wa takai This book is expensive. (Japanese)
Kono hon wa takakatta This book was expensive. (Japanese)

7. demonstratives

Japanese:

Kono tatemono wa ookii desu. 
This building is big.                        this, near speaker

Sono tatemono wa ookii desu. 
That building is big.                       that, near hearer

Ano tatemono wa ookii desu. 
That building is big.                       that over there, away from speaker/hearer

Korean: 

i
keu
cheo

8. negative questions

     Aren't you going to school today?
     (Yes or No), I'm not going to school today.

9. plurals

1) kyo-shil-e     hak-saeng-i man-t'a (Korean)
    classroom-in student-subject marker are many
    There are many students in the classroom.

2) kyo-shil-e     hak-saeng-deul-i                  man-t'a (Korean)
    classroom-in student-plural-subject marker are many
    There are many students in the classroom.

3) Gakusei wa              koko de                  benkyoo-shimasu. (Japanese)
    student topic marker here location marker study-do
    Students study here.

4) Gakusei-tachi wa              koko de                benkyoo-shimasu. (Japanese)
    student-plural topic marker here location marker study-do
    Students study here.

5) Tanaka-san wa               ikimasu.
    Tanaka-title topic marker go
    Mr./Ms. Tanaka will go.

6) Tanaka-san-tachi wa               ikimasu.
    Tanaka-title-plural topic marker go
    The Tanakas will go./Mr./Ms. Tanaka and his group will go.

7) gakusei wa              ikimasu.
    student topic marker go
    The student will go.

8) gakusei wa              ikimasu.
    student topic marker go
    The students will go.

9) gakukusei-tachi wa              ikimasu.
    student-plural   topic marker go
    The students will go.

10) Shinbun    ga                  todokimashita.
     Newspaper subject marker arrived
     The newspaper arrived.

11) Shinbun ga                     todokimashita.
     Newspaper subject marker arrived
     The newspapers arrived.

12) *Shinbun-tachi      ga                  todokimashita.
        Newspaper-plural subject marker arrived
       The newspapers arrived.
       (An asterisk means the sentence is not grammatical.)

10. pronouns

keu sa-ram, keu pun (Korean)

she = kanojo (Japanese)
he = kare (Japanese)

I = boku, ore, atashi, watashi, watakushi….. (Japanese)