Re: I need some help from native speakers of Japanese

On 5/5/06 12:06 PM, in article
1146855961.987369.10840@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Ray"
<raymondaliasapollyon@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


B. Ito wrote:
"Ray" <raymondaliasapollyon@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1146852928.427953.212330@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

B. Ito wrote:
"Ray" <raymondaliasapollyon@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1146846526.301851.203360@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To B. Ito:

I really appreciate your help, but I just cannot stand muchan's
patronizing attitude.
After all, this thread has made you learn something about English and
made me learn something about Japanese, even though the discussion
ended up as childish bickering.
That was a saving grace, wasn't it?

Ray
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
If you say that, have you warmed up enough now.
As for me, I've been almost completed my first warm-up.

Are you kind enough to check my summary just made after my own way
as per my post dated May 5th, 17:36 in addition to Bart's post for you.

Please check if the following sentence structure scheme would be
something relevant to your research this time.

Detailes are in my post referred to above.

"Do you think..... " + " so and so because such and such....where
(when,how etc.)" ?

To be more accurate, I think it is important to emphasize that "where"
in my question is thought to be inside the because-clause.

So I would give your word-string a pair of brackets as follows:

Do you think..... " + " so and so [because such and such....where]

This shows "where" is interpreted as related to the "because-clause".



In English you have to express in two sentences like,

"So and so. But where(when, how etc) do you think such and such?"

Yes. As the example I gave to you before shows, you might need to use
several shorter sentences instead of one complicated sentence involving
"because".

E.g. Mary thinks so because she saw John somewhere. So where does she
think [she saw John t]?
(Note that the letter "t" indicates the position in which "where" is
interpreted.)

In English one cannot say *Where does Mary think so [because she saw
John t]?

Ray
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Even it may be a simpler one for you, let's not bring out another new text
sentence.

Ok. Then just refer to the example I gave to you some time ago.

I'm not a linguist at all and have never read anybook or gramma written
by Chomsky. I think I know English grammar I've learned through Japanese.
So for me such English terms of grammar themselves are sometime great
barriers.

I see. Do you have an English-Japanese dictionary? If so, I think you
can find the terms in it. If not, please ask me what you don't
understand.



Does Chomsky explain English grammar more complicated than what is called
"Indirect Question" like undermentioned, deleting "because clause" from you
new text.

I'm not quite sure of what you are asking. But I think Noam Chomsky's
theory is highly abstract, more complicated than what I have written
here and more opaque. And his theory is designed for human language in
general. That's why I needed to compare different languages.

You can ask Bart whether formal syntax is easy stuff.

I read "Aspects of the Theory of Syntax" about 25 years ago. I got an A+ in
a course called "Morphology and Syntax," etc. etc. I have a degree in
linguistics, believe it or not. Admittedly, I haven't thought much about the
abstract theoretical syntax stuff in quite a few years, since my involvement
with language is on the ground, teaching a language to teenagers. But I
would say I probably don't qualify as a complete idiot or ignoramus in these
matters. And I found your question opaque. You came to a group that is all
about the Japanese language, plus whatever tangents it pleases the
participants to engage in. You didn't "ask" for help in your little problem,
you demanded it. When the phrasing of your question turned out to be opaque
to most of the participants, including the native speakers from whom you
were demanding answers, you were dismissive and insulting rather than taking
the responsibility to make your question clear. Some people tried very hard
to satisfy your demands, yet you remained ungracious.
Lucky for you there is a real, practicing linguist in the group. Bart is
also an example of an egghead who operates with some social grace.
Anyway, if most of the people who have followed the thread have ended up
thinking that you're a graceless prick, upon whom should we place the blame?
The gentle residents of this cyber-village who did their best to help the
stranger with the strange demands, or the stranger himself?
Muchan gave you a few pieces of very wise and valuable advice. Consider his
words well after you have stormed off and eventually gotten over your
annoyance.

.

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