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Clarification on personification in Japanese
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I struggle emotionally with this topic because it's something I love to do in English and Spanish. Yet Japanese (afaik) deem personification grammatically incorrect because non-living things don't have wills of their own.
I have a few questions about this topic:
Is personification commonly understood? If I had an acquaintance or friend and I told them something like "太陽ã«殺ã•れる". How widely understood would it be that I'm playfully saying it's terribly hot that day? I feel like it would be okay in casual conversations right?
In books or novels, is it normal for authors to write personifications?
Is it really considered grammatically incorrect to write personifications? I feel like it wouldn't be if they knew you were intentionally writing it rather than by mistake as long as the sentence structure was sound.
Bonus: I like to use this kind of humor, how do I cope with what seems to be lack of personification in Japanese writing? sad (I've never come across it, then again stuff like that isn't shown in study material I guess. Although it is taught in English writing)
grammar
asked Aug 29 at 11:26
Tek
312211
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
I struggle emotionally with this topic because it's something I love to do in English and Spanish. Yet Japanese (afaik) deem personification grammatically incorrect because non-living things don't have wills of their own.
I have a few questions about this topic:
Is personification commonly understood? If I had an acquaintance or friend and I told them something like "太陽ã«殺ã•れる". How widely understood would it be that I'm playfully saying it's terribly hot that day? I feel like it would be okay in casual conversations right?
In books or novels, is it normal for authors to write personifications?
Is it really considered grammatically incorrect to write personifications? I feel like it wouldn't be if they knew you were intentionally writing it rather than by mistake as long as the sentence structure was sound.
Bonus: I like to use this kind of humor, how do I cope with what seems to be lack of personification in Japanese writing? sad (I've never come across it, then again stuff like that isn't shown in study material I guess. Although it is taught in English writing)
grammar
asked Aug 29 at 11:26
Tek
312211
2
On the topic of personification of "non-living things", I always wondered if ã‚ã‚Âã¡ゃん (as in 飴ã¡ゃん) is perceived as a kind of personification by native speakers.
– Earthliŋ♦
Aug 29 at 12:20
3
@Earthliŋ "ã¡ゃん" や "ãŸã¡" を付ã‘ãŸãÂÂらã„ã§擬人化ã¨ã¯普通ã¯言ã„ã¾ã›ん。
– naruto
Aug 29 at 16:28
I can't think of examples right now off the top of my head. But while I agree this type of writing is not commonly included in Japanese study materials (at least none that I remember from what I've used in the past), I come across this type of sentence often enough in TV/books/manga/etc. and even in daily conversations.
– yushi
Aug 30 at 1:24
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
I struggle emotionally with this topic because it's something I love to do in English and Spanish. Yet Japanese (afaik) deem personification grammatically incorrect because non-living things don't have wills of their own.
I have a few questions about this topic:
Is personification commonly understood? If I had an acquaintance or friend and I told them something like "太陽ã«殺ã•れる". How widely understood would it be that I'm playfully saying it's terribly hot that day? I feel like it would be okay in casual conversations right?
In books or novels, is it normal for authors to write personifications?
Is it really considered grammatically incorrect to write personifications? I feel like it wouldn't be if they knew you were intentionally writing it rather than by mistake as long as the sentence structure was sound.
Bonus: I like to use this kind of humor, how do I cope with what seems to be lack of personification in Japanese writing? sad (I've never come across it, then again stuff like that isn't shown in study material I guess. Although it is taught in English writing)
grammar
asked Aug 29 at 11:26
Tek
312211
I struggle emotionally with this topic because it's something I love to do in English and Spanish. Yet Japanese (afaik) deem personification grammatically incorrect because non-living things don't have wills of their own.
I have a few questions about this topic:
Is personification commonly understood? If I had an acquaintance or friend and I told them something like "太陽ã«殺ã•れる". How widely understood would it be that I'm playfully saying it's terribly hot that day? I feel like it would be okay in casual conversations right?
In books or novels, is it normal for authors to write personifications?
Is it really considered grammatically incorrect to write personifications? I feel like it wouldn't be if they knew you were intentionally writing it rather than by mistake as long as the sentence structure was sound.
Bonus: I like to use this kind of humor, how do I cope with what seems to be lack of personification in Japanese writing? sad (I've never come across it, then again stuff like that isn't shown in study material I guess. Although it is taught in English writing)
grammar
asked Aug 29 at 11:26
Tek
312211
asked Aug 29 at 11:26
Tek
312211
asked Aug 29 at 11:26
Tek
312211
asked Aug 29 at 11:26
Tek
312211
312211
2
On the topic of personification of "non-living things", I always wondered if ã‚ã‚Âã¡ゃん (as in 飴ã¡ゃん) is perceived as a kind of personification by native speakers.
– Earthliŋ♦
Aug 29 at 12:20
3
@Earthliŋ "ã¡ゃん" や "ãŸã¡" を付ã‘ãŸãÂÂらã„ã§擬人化ã¨ã¯普通ã¯言ã„ã¾ã›ん。
– naruto
Aug 29 at 16:28
I can't think of examples right now off the top of my head. But while I agree this type of writing is not commonly included in Japanese study materials (at least none that I remember from what I've used in the past), I come across this type of sentence often enough in TV/books/manga/etc. and even in daily conversations.
– yushi
Aug 30 at 1:24
add a comment |Â
2
On the topic of personification of "non-living things", I always wondered if ã‚ã‚Âã¡ゃん (as in 飴ã¡ゃん) is perceived as a kind of personification by native speakers.
– Earthliŋ♦
Aug 29 at 12:20
3
@Earthliŋ "ã¡ゃん" や "ãŸã¡" を付ã‘ãŸãÂÂらã„ã§擬人化ã¨ã¯普通ã¯言ã„ã¾ã›ん。
– naruto
Aug 29 at 16:28
I can't think of examples right now off the top of my head. But while I agree this type of writing is not commonly included in Japanese study materials (at least none that I remember from what I've used in the past), I come across this type of sentence often enough in TV/books/manga/etc. and even in daily conversations.
– yushi
Aug 30 at 1:24
2
2
On the topic of personification of "non-living things", I always wondered if ã‚ã‚Âã¡ゃん (as in 飴ã¡ゃん) is perceived as a kind of personification by native speakers.
– Earthliŋ♦
Aug 29 at 12:20
On the topic of personification of "non-living things", I always wondered if ã‚ã‚Âã¡ゃん (as in 飴ã¡ゃん) is perceived as a kind of personification by native speakers.
– Earthliŋ♦
Aug 29 at 12:20
3
3
@Earthliŋ "ã¡ゃん" や "ãŸã¡" を付ã‘ãŸãÂÂらã„ã§擬人化ã¨ã¯普通ã¯言ã„ã¾ã›ん。
– naruto
Aug 29 at 16:28
@Earthliŋ "ã¡ゃん" や "ãŸã¡" を付ã‘ãŸãÂÂらã„ã§擬人化ã¨ã¯普通ã¯言ã„ã¾ã›ん。
– naruto
Aug 29 at 16:28
I can't think of examples right now off the top of my head. But while I agree this type of writing is not commonly included in Japanese study materials (at least none that I remember from what I've used in the past), I come across this type of sentence often enough in TV/books/manga/etc. and even in daily conversations.
– yushi
Aug 30 at 1:24
I can't think of examples right now off the top of my head. But while I agree this type of writing is not commonly included in Japanese study materials (at least none that I remember from what I've used in the past), I come across this type of sentence often enough in TV/books/manga/etc. and even in daily conversations.
– yushi
Aug 30 at 1:24
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
It's perfectly fine to say 太陽ã«殺ã•れる in Japanese. By "non-living things don't have wills", perhaps you are referring to this grammatical tendency? While it's a good idea to keep this tendency in mind while making ordinary sentences in a natural way, a rhetorical device such as personification is a different story. You can form personificated sentences like å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る, æµ·ãŒ怒ã£ã¦ã„る, 本ãŒ泣ã„ã¦ã„る as far as your creativity allows. You can even use ã„る with a talking tree.
That being said, each language has its own common ways of forming rhetorical expressions, and I cannot guarantee everything that makes sense in your language will also make sense in Japanese if translated too literally. Actually, ～ã«殺ã•れる is not as common as English "(something) is killing me", and there are many Japanese articles that explain how English speakers like this "killing me" (for example this and this) in daily conversations.
answered Aug 29 at 14:28
naruto
137k8126245
So then if I wanted to go hike, it'd be okay to personify "The mountains are calling me to come to them" in Japanese? Yes, I'm aware I could simply type "I want to go hiking" but because personifying is part of my humor I'd like to keep that aspect of my personality in Japanese
– Tek
Aug 31 at 0:36
@Tek Yes you can, and å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る is fairly common.
– naruto
Aug 31 at 8:48
add a comment |Â
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
It's perfectly fine to say 太陽ã«殺ã•れる in Japanese. By "non-living things don't have wills", perhaps you are referring to this grammatical tendency? While it's a good idea to keep this tendency in mind while making ordinary sentences in a natural way, a rhetorical device such as personification is a different story. You can form personificated sentences like å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る, æµ·ãŒ怒ã£ã¦ã„る, 本ãŒ泣ã„ã¦ã„る as far as your creativity allows. You can even use ã„る with a talking tree.
That being said, each language has its own common ways of forming rhetorical expressions, and I cannot guarantee everything that makes sense in your language will also make sense in Japanese if translated too literally. Actually, ～ã«殺ã•れる is not as common as English "(something) is killing me", and there are many Japanese articles that explain how English speakers like this "killing me" (for example this and this) in daily conversations.
answered Aug 29 at 14:28
naruto
137k8126245
So then if I wanted to go hike, it'd be okay to personify "The mountains are calling me to come to them" in Japanese? Yes, I'm aware I could simply type "I want to go hiking" but because personifying is part of my humor I'd like to keep that aspect of my personality in Japanese
– Tek
Aug 31 at 0:36
@Tek Yes you can, and å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る is fairly common.
– naruto
Aug 31 at 8:48
add a comment |Â
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
It's perfectly fine to say 太陽ã«殺ã•れる in Japanese. By "non-living things don't have wills", perhaps you are referring to this grammatical tendency? While it's a good idea to keep this tendency in mind while making ordinary sentences in a natural way, a rhetorical device such as personification is a different story. You can form personificated sentences like å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る, æµ·ãŒ怒ã£ã¦ã„る, 本ãŒ泣ã„ã¦ã„る as far as your creativity allows. You can even use ã„る with a talking tree.
That being said, each language has its own common ways of forming rhetorical expressions, and I cannot guarantee everything that makes sense in your language will also make sense in Japanese if translated too literally. Actually, ～ã«殺ã•れる is not as common as English "(something) is killing me", and there are many Japanese articles that explain how English speakers like this "killing me" (for example this and this) in daily conversations.
answered Aug 29 at 14:28
naruto
137k8126245
So then if I wanted to go hike, it'd be okay to personify "The mountains are calling me to come to them" in Japanese? Yes, I'm aware I could simply type "I want to go hiking" but because personifying is part of my humor I'd like to keep that aspect of my personality in Japanese
– Tek
Aug 31 at 0:36
@Tek Yes you can, and å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る is fairly common.
– naruto
Aug 31 at 8:48
add a comment |Â
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
up vote
7
down vote
accepted
It's perfectly fine to say 太陽ã«殺ã•れる in Japanese. By "non-living things don't have wills", perhaps you are referring to this grammatical tendency? While it's a good idea to keep this tendency in mind while making ordinary sentences in a natural way, a rhetorical device such as personification is a different story. You can form personificated sentences like å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る, æµ·ãŒ怒ã£ã¦ã„る, 本ãŒ泣ã„ã¦ã„る as far as your creativity allows. You can even use ã„る with a talking tree.
That being said, each language has its own common ways of forming rhetorical expressions, and I cannot guarantee everything that makes sense in your language will also make sense in Japanese if translated too literally. Actually, ～ã«殺ã•れる is not as common as English "(something) is killing me", and there are many Japanese articles that explain how English speakers like this "killing me" (for example this and this) in daily conversations.
answered Aug 29 at 14:28
naruto
137k8126245
It's perfectly fine to say 太陽ã«殺ã•れる in Japanese. By "non-living things don't have wills", perhaps you are referring to this grammatical tendency? While it's a good idea to keep this tendency in mind while making ordinary sentences in a natural way, a rhetorical device such as personification is a different story. You can form personificated sentences like å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る, æµ·ãŒ怒ã£ã¦ã„る, 本ãŒ泣ã„ã¦ã„る as far as your creativity allows. You can even use ã„る with a talking tree.
That being said, each language has its own common ways of forming rhetorical expressions, and I cannot guarantee everything that makes sense in your language will also make sense in Japanese if translated too literally. Actually, ～ã«殺ã•れる is not as common as English "(something) is killing me", and there are many Japanese articles that explain how English speakers like this "killing me" (for example this and this) in daily conversations.
answered Aug 29 at 14:28
naruto
137k8126245
edited Aug 29 at 14:42
answered Aug 29 at 14:28
naruto
137k8126245
answered Aug 29 at 14:28
naruto
137k8126245
answered Aug 29 at 14:28
naruto
137k8126245
137k8126245
So then if I wanted to go hike, it'd be okay to personify "The mountains are calling me to come to them" in Japanese? Yes, I'm aware I could simply type "I want to go hiking" but because personifying is part of my humor I'd like to keep that aspect of my personality in Japanese
– Tek
Aug 31 at 0:36
@Tek Yes you can, and å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る is fairly common.
– naruto
Aug 31 at 8:48
add a comment |Â
So then if I wanted to go hike, it'd be okay to personify "The mountains are calling me to come to them" in Japanese? Yes, I'm aware I could simply type "I want to go hiking" but because personifying is part of my humor I'd like to keep that aspect of my personality in Japanese
– Tek
Aug 31 at 0:36
@Tek Yes you can, and å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る is fairly common.
– naruto
Aug 31 at 8:48
So then if I wanted to go hike, it'd be okay to personify "The mountains are calling me to come to them" in Japanese? Yes, I'm aware I could simply type "I want to go hiking" but because personifying is part of my humor I'd like to keep that aspect of my personality in Japanese
– Tek
Aug 31 at 0:36
So then if I wanted to go hike, it'd be okay to personify "The mountains are calling me to come to them" in Japanese? Yes, I'm aware I could simply type "I want to go hiking" but because personifying is part of my humor I'd like to keep that aspect of my personality in Japanese
– Tek
Aug 31 at 0:36
@Tek Yes you can, and å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る is fairly common.
– naruto
Aug 31 at 8:48
@Tek Yes you can, and å±±ãŒ呼んã§ã„る is fairly common.
– naruto
Aug 31 at 8:48
add a comment |Â
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2
On the topic of personification of "non-living things", I always wondered if ã‚ã‚Âã¡ゃん (as in 飴ã¡ゃん) is perceived as a kind of personification by native speakers.
– Earthliŋ♦
Aug 29 at 12:20
3
@Earthliŋ "ã¡ゃん" や "ãŸã¡" を付ã‘ãŸãÂÂらã„ã§擬人化ã¨ã¯普通ã¯言ã„ã¾ã›ん。
– naruto
Aug 29 at 16:28
I can't think of examples right now off the top of my head. But while I agree this type of writing is not commonly included in Japanese study materials (at least none that I remember from what I've used in the past), I come across this type of sentence often enough in TV/books/manga/etc. and even in daily conversations.
– yushi
Aug 30 at 1:24