Re: conversation partner

From: necoandjeff (spam_at_schrepfer.com)
Date: 07/05/04 

Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 15:28:55 GMT

"Curt Fischer" <crf3@po.cwru.edu> wrote in message
news:2kt941F628cvU1@uni-berlin.de...
> Adam Atkinson wrote:
>
> > When will I find out the Japanese for "to have"? After 1 year
> > at 2 hours per week we've yet to be told this: we've
> > been told that we can use "arimasu" if we're talking about
> > having appointments, things to do, work or money, but not
> > for other things. It feels quite surprising to know how
> > to say "I want X", "I want to do X", "I am good at X",
> > "I went to X by Y with Z yesterday" but not "I have X".
> >
> > Do Japanese people never say they have things? Is saying
> > you have something fraught with complications I'm not
> > currently equipped to deal with?
>
> A good question. I bet people with better Japanese than mine could make a
> decent case for translating every "have" below into different Japanese
> verbs, only one of which would be "aru".
>
> I'll have dessert.
> I have a disease.
> I have two dollars.
> I have red hair.

I get zero arus:

$B%G%5!<%H$rD:$-$^$9!#(B
$BIB5$$G$9!#(Bor $BIB5$$KXm$C$F$$$^$9!#(B
2$B%I%k;}$C$F$$$^$9!#(B
$B@V$$H1$NLS$7$F$$$^$9!#(B

Note, the latter is actually an interesting example. Most Japanese of course
wouldn't point out that their hair is black (although nowadays they might
since it is becoming so unusual...) and *everything* else is just kinpatsu.
I'm actually a redhead myself (well, I used to be when I had hair...) and I
always had the toughest time explaining to Japanese the distinction between
blonde and red hair. I've known Japanese who have lived in the states for
years and who still have trouble making the distinction. If you don't have
black hair you would just be $B6bH1$G$9!#(BI eventually gave up and just
referred to myself as $B6bH1(B (before the word $BGm$2(B completely took over
anyway...) If anything I would explain that in the U.S./West we refer to my
hair as being red (a completely different sentence from above of course.)

Jeff

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