tachi

[aim]

I've got a copy of Rosseta Stone, yet its really frustrating that it doesn't translate anything to English. A Google search for "tachi" just talks about a sword. I assume that's not what its really used for in, say, "otonoko tachi ga tobikonde imasu". Can someone clarify this for me?

Thanks!

[phreadom]

it's more like "-tachi"... think of it like a suffix that means multiple people...

So where otoko would be a man, otokotachi is men.

(Did you have a typo and meant otokonoko? Child? And otokonokotachi being Children?)

So the same goes for watashi being "I", and watashitachi being "we".

Hope this helps! (That's my beginner explanation, so someone please correct me if my explanation is a little off!)

[aim]

Great thanks!

It can be difficult to get a translation in roman chars. Rosetta Stone should provide an English translation.

[phreadom]

Great thanks!

It can be difficult to get a translation in roman chars. Rosetta Stone should provide an English translation.

That would kind of defeat the purpose of the method that Rosetta Stone intentionally uses to teach you.

The whole point of Rosetta Stone is to make you figure out what's being said by having to guess it yourself from the context of the pictures they show etc. Natural language acquisition or whatever. It's the core concept that the entire software package is built around as far as I know.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_St ... oftware%29

The Rosetta Stone software utilizes a combination of images, text, and sound, with difficulty levels increasing as the student progresses, in order to teach various vocabulary terms and grammatical functions intuitively, without drills or translation. They call this the "Dynamic Immersion method". The goal is to teach languages the way first languages are learned.

[furrykef]

I think "-tachi" is more analogous to "and company" than a general plural marker. Otokonoko-tachi = the boy and his friends. I don't think it can mean boys in general (but correct me if I'm wrong).

[phreadom]

I think "-tachi" is more analogous to "and company" than a general plural marker. Otokonoko-tachi = the boy and his friends. I don't think it can mean boys in general (but correct me if I'm wrong).

Well, WWWJDIC seems to make it sound like what I was saying... so I'd really love for someone authoritative to weigh in on this.

達 【たち】 (suf) pluralizing suffix (esp. for people & animals; formerly honorific); (P)

[chikara]

Well, WWWJDIC seems to make it sound like what I was saying... so I'd really love for someone authoritative to weigh in on this.

When I was studying Japanese myself and company always took 私たち to mean "we" or "us" for what it is worth.

[keatonatron]

I think "-tachi" is more analogous to "and company" than a general plural marker. Otokonoko-tachi = the boy and his friends. I don't think it can mean boys in general (but correct me if I'm wrong).

Eh, it's a pretty standard "the boys". But not quite "boys in general", because it refers to a specific group boys. (i.e. you wouldn't use it in a saying like "boys will be boys", but you could use it in "the boys will be home shortly").

However, it does have the "and company" feel when you attach it to someone's name, which is quite common. "Furrykef-tachi mo kuru yo" means "Furrykef and the people with him are also coming" and not "here come the Furrykefs"

[tōkai devotee]

"Furrykef-tachi mo kuru yo" means "Furrykef and the people with him are also coming" and not "here come the Furrykefs"

"Here come the Furrykefs" sounds like the title of a very scary movie!!

[furrykef]

I think "-tachi" is more analogous to "and company" than a general plural marker. Otokonoko-tachi = the boy and his friends. I don't think it can mean boys in general (but correct me if I'm wrong).

Eh, it's a pretty standard "the boys". But not quite "boys in general", because it refers to a specific group boys. (i.e. you wouldn't use it in a saying like "boys will be boys", but you could use it in "the boys will be home shortly").

I think the main thing is, if I understand it correctly, it's always a specific group -- if you use -tachi, you always know exactly what group we're talking about. If it makes any sense, I think "otokonoko-tachi" is grammatically equivalent to "the boy and his friends", but may carry a connotation more like "the boys", if that makes any sense.

- Kef