Making Sense of Japanese Grammar

32. Another consequence of the double-o constraint

32 Another consequence of the double-o constraint In Unit 30, we saw that the causative construction allows both -o and -ni for a non-subject participant. The following two sentences are both grammatical, though slightly different in meaning. Kodomo-tachi-ni mae-no hoo-ni suwaraseta. “I let the children sit in the front.” Kodomo-tachi-o mae-no hoo-ni suwaraseta. “I made the children sit in the front.” Actually, these two options are possible because the verb suwaru “to sit” is an intransitive verb, and there is no direct object associated with it. When the verb is a transitive verb, the double-o constraint, which we studied in Unit 22, is activated, as shown below, and only the particle -ni can be used with the non-subject participant regardless of the subject’s control over him/her. This sentence is ambiguous. Kodomo-tachi-ni gohan-o tabesaseta. “I let/made the children eat the meal.” Checking your comprehension: Which particle should you use with the following, -ni or -o? Naomi-( ) uchi-ni kaeraseta. Naomi-( ) hon-o kawaseta. What is wrong with the following sentence? Kodomo-tachi-o tabesaseta. 79 For related topics, see also Units 22 and 30. ...