Descriptive noun ambiguity?
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Descriptive noun ambiguity?
皆さんこんにちは。I was google around for how to turn descriptive nouns (eg. 好き, 退屈) into "-ness" nouns and I heard tell that they already are such nouns. To say "このゲイムが退屈だ" then literally means "this game is boringness" and there is just no difference between boring and boringness. Is this true? Surely there is a way to differentiate an adjective from its noun form?
Re: Descriptive noun ambiguity?
Na-adjectives are basically nouns anyway. The なused to connect them to the noun they modifies is だ in disguise.
Richard VanHouten
ゆきの物語
ゆきの物語
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Re: Descriptive noun ambiguity?
I knew that but this doesn't really answer my question. Is there a way to disambiguate?
Re: Descriptive noun ambiguity?
Sure, use it as an adjective rather than a noun. この退屈なゲームが好きじゃない。
Remember, though, that although it may be used as a noun in Japanese, the natural translation into English may be an adjective. I think that's what you're encountering. The natural translation of このゲームが退屈だ is not "This game is boredom" but rather "This game is boring."
Remember, though, that although it may be used as a noun in Japanese, the natural translation into English may be an adjective. I think that's what you're encountering. The natural translation of このゲームが退屈だ is not "This game is boredom" but rather "This game is boring."
Richard VanHouten
ゆきの物語
ゆきの物語
- hariharidax2
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Re: Descriptive noun ambiguity?
bore = 退屈させる
boringness = 退屈,退屈さ
"This game is boring."
= このゲームは退屈だ
※ literally means このゲームは(私を= to me)退屈させる
⇒ このゲームは(私にとって= for me)退屈だ
"The boringness of this game is awful."
= このゲームの「退屈さ」はひどい
+「さ」is degree of descriptive noun.It's like nominalization.
It's like this,
kind = 親切な
kindness = 親切,親切さ
dark = 暗い
darkness = 暗さ
hard = 硬い
hardness = 硬さ
boringness = 退屈,退屈さ
"This game is boring."
= このゲームは退屈だ
※ literally means このゲームは(私を= to me)退屈させる
⇒ このゲームは(私にとって= for me)退屈だ
"The boringness of this game is awful."
= このゲームの「退屈さ」はひどい
+「さ」is degree of descriptive noun.It's like nominalization.
It's like this,
kind = 親切な
kindness = 親切,親切さ
dark = 暗い
darkness = 暗さ
hard = 硬い
hardness = 硬さ
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- Native language: English
Re: Descriptive noun ambiguity?
The impression I'm getting is that there isn't a difference between "this game is boring" and "this game is boredom". I know the latter makes no sense and would probably never be said, but that's what I was asking anyway. Have I understood correctly?