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文法b
| 這個方法不是不好，不過要多用一些
錢。 |
This method isn't bad, but it requires more money.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ，不過Ｂ, where Ｂ is a
qualifying limitation on Ａ. In this case the method or plan 方法 is good
不是不好, but a little more money 多用一些錢 is required 要.
Note 2: Apparently the counter for 方法 is 個. As is
usually the case, the demonstrative construction requires the counter
-- thus, 這個方法.
Note 3: The construction 多用一些錢 is of the general
pattern 多ＡＢＣ, where Ａ is some activity and Ｂ indicates how much more of
Ｃ should result from or be required by that activity. In this case
money is used in the quantity 一些. Whether 一些 should be
interpreted to mean "more" or "some more", or "a little more" is
not entirely clear.
Note 4: The expression 不是不好 means "not bad". In this
case, it probably serves to introduce the limiting qualifier 不過 that
follows. In no case should it be confused with the expressions 是不是 or
好不好.
|
| 請問你：法國的天氣，南方跟北方是
不是有很大的分別﹖ |
Could you please tell me, if there is a big
difference between the weather in the north and south of France.
Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is of course
請問你：Ａ, where 請問你 is a polite way of asking a question.
Note 2: The base pattern of the question is
Ａ，Ｂ跟Ｃ是不是Ｄ﹖, where Ａis an attribute of Ｂand Ｃ about which the speaker
would like to know Ｄ. This pattern reflects the Japanese "Ｙ
は、Ｚ。" construction, where Ａ introduces something that is crucial to
understanding the rest of the sentence Ｚ, but stands apart from it
grammatically.
In this case the speaker wants to know if there is a
very big difference 大的分別 in the weather 天氣 of France's 法國 southern and
northern regions (南方 and 北方, respectively).
Note 3: The expression 南方跟北方是不是有很大的分別 can probably be
replaced with 南方跟北方有沒有很大的分別 with no loss of meaning. In spoken
Cantonese the same expression would be 南方跟北方有冇很大的分別.
Note 4: The phrases 南方 and 北方 express regions as
opposed to direction.
|
| 你說的話真正的意思，我第一次聽不
明白，現在明白了。 |
At first I did not understand the true meaning of
what you said, but now I do.
Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is probably
best described as Ａ，我第一次聽不明白，現在明白了, whereＡis something that the speaker
did not understand at first, but after some reflection and/or
clarification understands now. Certainly this is not the first time
that the object of a verb has been placed before the verb for emphasis.
Note 2: The expression 你說的話真正的意思, though perhaps easily understood by
native speakers,
appears grammatically awkward to beginners. Clearly the two phrases
你說的話 and 真正的意思
are functionally related, in so far as the second refers to the true
meaning of the former. Unfortunately, this functional relationship is
structurally unclear. Consider the following three base patterns with
which we are already familiar: ＡＢ,Ａ是Ｂ, and Ａ的Ｂ.
1) If ＡＢ were the correct pattern, then Ｂ would be
descriptive and assume the form of a predicate adjective with respect
to Ａ. Clearly 真正的意思 is not an adjective.
2) If Ａ是Ｂ were the correct pattern, then there would be no reason for
the speaker to have been in doubt with regard to the true meaning,
because it was already known. 你説的話是真正的意思 would be translated as "what
you said is the true meaning".
3) This leaves us only with the Ａ的Ｂ, where Ｂrefers to the true meaning
of what was said -- namely, Ａ. Thus, the speaker appears to have
dropped one of the prepositional particles 的 from the phrase 你說的話的真正的意思.
Note 3: The phrase 第一次 occurs before the verb 聽, but
after the subject 我. As adverbs often occur before verbs in Cantonese
sentences this should be of little surprise to anyone.
|
| 他說他有兩個哥哥，一個在法國做生
意，一個在美國教書。 |
You said that you have two older brothers: one who
does business in France, and one who teaches in the US.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ說Ａ有Ｂwhere Ｂis something
that Ａ says Ａ has. In this instance what Ａ has are two older brothers
兩個哥哥.
Expanding the pattern yields Ａ說Ａ有兩個Ｂ，Ｂ１，Ｂ２, where Ｂ１ and Ｂ２ are
each of the two Ｂ. Ｂ１is the brother
who does business in
France and Ｂ２ is the brother who
teaches in the US. Each of the
brothers is referred to as 一個. It is not necessary to repeat the word
哥哥, as the counter 個 serves as a personal pronoun.
Note 2: The pattern Ａ在ＢＣ, where Ｃ is what Ａ does at Ｂ,
is not new.
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| 學校早上八點三十分開門，我在學校
門前等你吧。 |
School starts at 8:30 in the morning. I will wait
for you in front of the gate.
Note 1: The base pattern of the first clause is ＡＢ開門
whereＢis the time that Ａ opens. In this case Ａ opens at 早上Ｃ點Ｄ分. 早上 can
be translated here as either
morning or A.M. Ｃ is the hour and Ｄare the minutes.
Note 2: The base pattern of the second clause is
Ａ在Ｂ門前等Ｃ, where Ｂis the place in front of whose gate 門前 Ａwill wait
for Ｃ. The exact meaning of 門前 is not clear, but probably means in
front of the door to the school.
Note 3: 吧 probably indicates an expectation on the
part of the speaker about the listener's meeting him on time in front
of the gate.
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| 那麼晚了，街上還有那麼多人，他們
甚麼時候回家呢﹖ |
It is so late, and still there are so many people
in the street. What time do they go home, I wonder?
Note 1: The base pattern is 那麼Ａ了，還有那麼Ｂ，Ｃ where Ｃ is a
question that results from the contrastive comparison between the two
conditions Ａ and Ｂ. Both conditions Ａ and Ｂare extreme in the mind of
the speaker; this is indicated by the repetition of the word 那麼. The construction
那麼Ａ了 indicates that condition Ａ was not always so, and the pattern
還有那麼Ｂrefers to a condition that persists even though condition Ａis now
present. The condition 那麼Ｂis characterized by its continued presence 還有.
Note 2: 晚了means that it has become late. Used in
conjuntion with 那麼 it is probably well rendered as I have done above.
Another possibility might be "it has become so late".
Note 3: When placed before a verb 還 typically means
that activity or condition described by the verb persists.
Note 4: 街上 should not be confused with 上街. Where the
former means "on the street", the latter means "go to market".
Note 5: The expression 那麼多人 means "so many people".
Note 6: The question 他們甚麼時候回家呢 is formulated in the
usual way with the question word 甚麼時候 inserted where it would naturally
occur in a statement that would answer the question. So
as to avoid any ambiguity the sentence tag 呢 has been added.
|
| 他們六個人，一塊兒去日本玩了兩個
月，真有意思。 |
The six of them spent an interesting two months in
Japan together.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ，去Ｂ，有意思 where Ｂis a place
to which Ａgoes and spends an interesting time. The comma between the
first two sentence parts appears unnecessary.
Note 2: The phrase 有意思 appears to be a special use of
the word 意思, which we previously translated as "meaning". A literal
translation of the phrase 有意思 might be "have meaning" or "meaningful".
In
other words the time spent was "worthwhile". 真 appears as an adverb
used to emphasize the verbal adjective 有意思.
Several people suggested that I translate this expression as "have
fun". I find this interpretation difficult to accept. This is not to
say that having fun is not worthwhile, simply having fun usually means
trashing meaning -- i.e. making a joke of what is meaningful, so as not
to become overburdened by it.
Note 3: The phrase 他們六個人 appears pretty standard and approximates an
English appositive -- a doubling of two noun phrases that refer to the
same entity, either of which could be dropped with no loss of
structure. In this case the second noun phrase tells how many.
Note 4: The phrase 一塊兒 is not new; it means together.
Note 5: The pattern 去日本玩了兩個用 is probably worth
mentioning, in so far as it expresses the idea of going somewhere and
spending time. It is of the base pattern 去Ａ玩了Ｂ where Ｂ is time spent
atＡ.
|
| 他前天坐船去日本，現在還在路上 |
He boarded a ship for Japan the day before
yesterday, and is still underway.
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is Ａ坐Ｂ去Ｃ，現在還在路上, where Ｂis
the means by which Ａ travels to Ｃ. The first clause of the sentence
should propose no problems, as we have encountered it many times before.
Note 2: The clause 現在還在路上 is tricky, in so far as it is not
clear whether 在路上 should be treated as a prepositional phrase, or as a
verb of location with an object. The presence of 還 suggests the latter
interpretation. Thus, 還在 tells us that he is still somewhere and 路上
tells us where that somewhere is.
Note 3: Although having only one interpretation here, the word phrase
路上 can mean "on top of the road", "on the pavement", "in the street",
or in this case "underway".
Note 4: 前天 means the day before yesterday and should
not be confused with the word phrase 昨天 which means yesterday.
|
| 他從來沒有想到明天，他就是過一天算一天。 |
Until now he never thought of tomorrow, and lived
from one day to the next.
Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence appears to be Ａ從來没有Ｂ，Ａ就是Ｃ,
where Ｂis something that Ａ had never done before, and Ｃ is a way in
which Ａ has always been.
Note 2: 從來 means "until now" or "up until now". It expresses the notion
of something coming from the past.
Note 3: The construction 没有Ｂ is not new; it is the negative past of the
verb Ｂ. The construction 想到 appears to express the notion
of having thought of something. In other words, the future 明天 is a
concept about which one normally has occasion to think, but never
occured to 他 -- i.e., 没有想到明天.
Note 4: The phrase 過一天算一天 is probably self-explanatory. Literally it
means "pass one day, count one day".
Of special interest is the
construction Ａ就是Ｂ. Obviously 過一天算一天 is not what Ａ is; rather, it is a
characteristic about the way he thinks or lives his life. Neither is it
a characteristic of Ａ in the sense of ＡＢ. Can the word 就 be
dropped with no loss of meaning? Is this construction only appropriate
for verb phrases utilized as predicate adjectives.
|
| 那酒家裡的人都說廣東話，你不會，
就沒東西吃了。 |
Everyone speaks Cantonese in that restaurant. You
are not likely to get anything to eat (because you cannot read the
menu).
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is Ａ都ＢＣ，Ｄ不會，就没ＥＦ了, where ＢＣ
is something that all of Ａ do, and ＥＦ is something that Ｄ is unlikely
able to do as a result.
Note 2: The phrase 那酒家𥚃的人 is of the form Ｂ𥚃的Ａ, where Ｂ is a place
inside which Ａ is/are located. In this case it is a restaurant that
serves alcohol and is known by both the speaker and the listener --
namely, 那酒家.
Note 3: The phrase 你不會，就沒東西吃了 is not easy to decifer in so far as the
role of the 不會 is unclear. For example, what meaning would be lost, if
the phrase were written 你就沒東西吃了? Is 不會 an unfinished negative
sentence part indicating the speaker's belief that something cannot be
achieved, or does it have a semantic life of its own that we should
seek elsewhere when a speaker believes that someone will not be able to
achieve something. I have rendered it here as "unlikely".
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