Verbals

VerbalPatternsIntroducedin01A

Affirmative

Negative

Imperfective(unfinished)

Perfective(finished)

ImportantNotesaboutVerbals:
1. Averbalcanoccurasacompletesentencebyitself.
2. Unlessindicatedbycontextortheverbalspecifically,statementsendingintheabove
formsrefertothespeaker,whilequestionsrefertotheaddressee.
3. InJapanese,finishedvs.unfinishedisthemaindistinction(ascomparedtoEnglishs
past,presentandfuture).
4. The(beforeconsonants)isthedistalstylemarkerthatis,indicatesthe
speakerisshowingsolitudetoward,andmaintainingsomelinguisticdistancefrom,the
addressee.
5. Thesoundinindicatestheimperfectivetheindicatestheperfective.

Sentence-Particle
Asentenceparticleoccursonlyattheendofasentence,qualifyingthemeaningofwhathas
precededtheyfollowthepreviouswordwithoutpause.
:questionmarkeroccursattheendofbothinformationquestionsandyesno
questionsmakesastatementintoayesnoquestionusuallyendsinempatheticor
terminaldeclarativeintonation.
:confirmationseekerwithrisingintonation,seeksconfirmationofanassumption
madebythespeakerright?,dontyouagree?,isntit?,etc.
:assertioncommoninassurances,contradictions,andwarnings(totheaddressee)
indicatesthatthespeakerassumestheyareprovidingtheaddresseewithnew
informationoranewsuggestionoccurswithbothempatheticorterminaldeclarative
intonations.
***Avoiduseinsituationsinwhichassertionbecomesrude(particularlywhensuperiors
areinvolved).

Negative Questions; Invitations

Negativequestionsoccurinthefollowingcontexts:
1. Tocheckinorconfirmanegativesituationalreadyintroducedintothecontextor
assumed,onthebasisofgeneralcontext,ascorrect:
Icantdoit.Youcantdoit?
Yourenotgoingtogoright?

2. Tocheckonthepossibilityofanegativesituationcontrarytothespeakersunderlying
assumptions:
Imnotgoingtomake[it].Youcantdoit?(asin,I
thoughtyoucould,but)

3. Asaninvitation:
Wontyoucome?

Affirming and Negating

areusedtoindicateagreement:
Didyouunderstand?
Yes,Idid.
Ididntunderstand.
Youdidntunderstand?
Thatsright.Ididntunderstand.

areusedtoindicatenegation/lackofagreement:
Areyougoing?
No,Imnotgoing.
Youarentgoing,right?
No,I
am
going.

Negativeinvitationsaretreateddifferently:
Yourenotgoingtoeat[it]right?
Thatsright.(Asin,Imnotgoingtoeatit).
Wontyoueat?(invitation)
Yes,thankyou.(acceptance)

Affirmativeresponsestocheckingonthepossibilityofanegativesituationimpliesagreement
withthequestionersunderlyingassumptionofanaffirmative,andanegativeresponsethe
opposite.
Arentyoucoming?
Yes,Iam(coming).
Arentyoucoming?
No,Imnot(coming).

Adjectivals
AdjectivalPatternsIntroducedin01B:
Affirmative

Direct

Distal

Imperfective

Perfective

1. Theindicatestheimperfectivetheindicatestheimperfective.
2. convertsdirectstyletodistal.
3. Theendingofanadjectiveisalwaysprecededbyanothervowelotherthanthatis,
adjectivalsintheirimperfectiveformallendin,,,or(althoughnot
everywordthatendsthiswayisanadjectival).
4.

Negative

Imperfective
Perfective

Direct

Distal