Questions tagged [animacy]
5 questions
11
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1 answer
In Japanese, can we say an object asks a question?
I was just wondering, because in English we can say "This story begs the question" etc. The wording for English is very versatile, and I was wondering if Japanese has this as well, for example in this sentence:
このゲームは質問を頼む
GasterSans
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4
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2 answers
Is it いる or ある with 物の怪? (Are ghosts animate or inanimate?)
Shall we treat [物の怪]{もののけ} (a kind of ghost) as animate or inanimate? Does it vary for the different ghosts?
solidsnack
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Can an inanimate concept be the subject of 通報する?
学校で市の保健所に通報しました。
The school has notified the city health centre.
I'm assuming this で is the same as in 二人で, for example, and refers to the school as a collection of people. So a more literal translation would be "as a school, we have notified…
user3856370
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Why is いる used with 才能?
才能を隠すのにも卓越した才能がいる。
This is a translation of a quote from Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales. The original text is as follows:
C'est une grande habilité que de savoir cacher son habileté.
I tried to translate this with the help of…
Sweeper
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Is ある or いる used for moving water?
Much has been written about the distinction between ある and いる, such as which is appropriate for robots or corpses.I know water is usually referred to with ある, but in a sentence such as 'この川にはいっぱい水が「ある/いる」', where the speaker is talking about moving…
jimbotherisenclown
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