4.4. ENRICHMENT 211
- Generalisation
While considered a colloquial emphatic version of , this particle is ac-
tually a contraction of the copula and the classical particle , which
has functionally been replaced in modern Japanese by /.
”Even grandpa knows that.”In this role, it’s not really different from.
can also be used in a listing fashion, in which case it stands
for a paĴern similar to ”whether ..., or ... [or ...], it’s all the same”:
”You, me, we’re all friends.”(the translation of is actually more nuanced than ’friend’, refer-
ring to being part of the in-group)As can be seen from this sentence, the final clause applies to all the
”items” listed using in this fashion.
A final role played by is as sentence ending particle, in which
case it acts as a quotation that the speaker is surprised about:
”(She) said it was because (she) had a date with him on Saturday.
Hadn’t those two broken up?”In this sentence the speaker expresses a surprise over hearing what
is being quoted, and explains this surprise with the following sentence.
Notice that these are two separate sentences, the is very much required
after in this use.
- Generalisation
Similar to how is considered a variant of , is considered
a variant of the verbal -. Just like the form, this ”particle” contracts