Making Sense of Japanese Grammar

37. Spatial relationships are expressed with stacked nouns

37 Spatial relationships are expressed with stacked nouns Spatial relationships in Japanese are expressed with stacked nouns, the last—or the right-most—one being modified by the rest. This is an application of the modification pattern explained in Unit 34. Honda-san-no migi “(to the) right of Ms. Honda” Honda-san-no migi-no gakusei “the student to the right of Ms. Honda” Tookyoo-no Shinbashi-no hoteru-no isshitsu “a room in a hotel in Shinbashi district in Tokyo” The direction of modification is the opposite of English spatial expressions. In Japanese you begin with a salient landmark—a larger or outer object, or an object closer to you. If we use the analogy of film-making, English zooms out or pans away from the core object you want to describe; Japanese zooms in or pans onto the core object. From the point of view of the listeners, Japanese is also like a gift boxed in multiple boxes or a treasure chest behind many closed doors; you are led through the environment to the object in question. salient landmark (larger/outer object) salient landmark what you want to describe (object closer to you) 90 Now imagine yourself guiding a book lover to a copy of the Man’yooshuu, an anthology of ancient Japanese poetry. Start with a reference point close to you, as in the following: kono doa-no mukoo-no heya-no ichiban oku-no hondana-no ue “on top of the bookcase at the farthest end of the room behind this door” If the closer reference points are clear to the listener, you can omit them, of course, as in the following: ichiban oku-no hondana-no ue “on top of the bookcase at the farthest end (of the house, etc.)” migi-no heya “the room to the right (of you, this room, etc.)” Checking your comprehension: Suppose that you are working on the first floor of Independent Thought Bookstore, and a customer who has enjoyed several cups of green tea asks where the nearest bathroom is. You know that it is behind a glass door in the back of the second floor. What would be the first landmark you should mention? How would you describe the location of the bathroom? 91 For related topics, see also Units 34 and 41. ...