Japanese learning PARADIGM SHIFT: Cut through the confusion. Lesson 43

Until now "Japanese grammar" has been a jungle of confusion, random rules and crazy exceptions. The Doll took her AI machete to that a while back, but one problem remained in the minds of many students. Today that also falls. ▼See More ▼

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[a.m.]

Notes for me:

In general, zero-ga defaults to watashi-ga, unless context tells us otherwise or the ga-car is explicitely shown (and the ga-marked noun is not watashi)
In sentences with words like -tai or -ru/-rareru (the potential), unless the context tells us otherwise or the ga-car is explicitely shown (and the ga-marked noun is not watashi), zero-ga defaults to watashi-ga; in other words, words like -tai or -ru/-rareru (the potential) can flip their polarity depending on the situation
REMEMBER: only nouns can be marked with logical particles
Remember: every sentence has a wa-marked topic and a ga-marked noun, whether we can see them or not
Japanese is an animistic language*, which often puts the inducer (as opposed to the experiencer, like in many Western languages) in the center. However, it can easily go from one POV to the other since, in Japanese, inducer and experiencer are two sides of the same coin / they aren't completely separate; they are two halves of the same action or state
*(or not just more animist; it has a more unified view of the world)
"The inside and the outside are not wholly separate, but are two sides of the same perception"

[RustieMcHogg]

This is great but I need to play it a couple more times to make sure I understand it. But I’m really glad you did the lesson as this has bothered me before.

[EricCouillard]

phew! i really appreciate how deeply you think about these things and explain them to us. the idea of no separation between internal and external is really fun philosophically, and you see it a lot in Zen Buddhism. not sure how to say it in Japanese, but in English it's called non-duality

[DanneoYT]

Woah... simply mind blowing, my jaws dropped several times during this video.
I remember back when I started this playlist and in the video where you introduced the helper adjective たい, there were many comments regarding this problem so you linked this video to them. I couldn’t watch it back then as it was too advanced for me but I’ve finally reached this video after working through the playlist and I CAN UNDERSTAND!!!
It’s like beating a major boss level and feeling like you’ve ‘levelled up’
All this wouldn’t have been possible if not for your excellent and concise explanations
Now onwards to the next video!!!

[shade]

Good stuff. Really sucks that she's no longer here.

[darkestholy]

Hello miss dolly.


In a sense, I like the fact that you talk about a two way movement. I think a motion implies an opposite motion, and it's only a matter of perception to decide which one caused by the other. That's not exactly what you said, but I think it's somewhat similar. My first experience with this was with 怖い. it would be a motion towards the subject itself of fear. So used on an object, it means it "attracts fear", so the opposite reaction would be people "giving fear" to the object. Used on a person, "attracting fear" would sound more like he's scared, and the opposite reaction would be the environment "giving fear" to him. I think that's a fair and rational way of seeing things too.

[birthdaycat]

My God... Japanese is profound and beautiful indeed. No wonder Zen Buddhism is prevalent there.

[Jesse-cnhn]

I really enjoyed this.

I read a bit about zen buddhism, and it's interesting to see that the Japanese language itself has the same lens as it. That bit at the end with the rabbit reminds me of a lot of koans I've seen!

[Magnemite_]

fun fact, "fushigisou" (written in katakana) is also the japanese name for the pokemon ivysaur

[stay_coolXD]

I don't know. I feel more confused now. Maybe i should rewatch the series

[MrKlumpfluff]

A really hard topic to tackle, that is explained well and clearly. I will digest this for a while, but honestly, realizing there is a language (and thus a method of thinking) that is closer to my perceived reality feels liberating. That was hard to explain properly, sorry. Again, thank you for these utterly well-made lessons.

[lynkkx]

I might actually be too stupid to understand this I will try watching this a few more times

[gabrielguimaraes]

Did she just explain the concept of AT Field in Evangelion ?

[luzff]

Dolly, I really love your channel and have bought your book Unlocking Japanese. I've already read the whole book, but a lot of things you talk about in your videos aren't there at all. Do you plan on publishing or at least writing about these other concepts?
I say this because I'd really love to be able to read all of this and because I feel the need to have a "record" of all of this. In the sense that we never know if a Youtube channel will be taken down, or particular videos, and I wish I didn't have to depend upon my internet connection to be able to review these concepts you've taught us. They're nowhere else online, like the other user pointed out.
So pretty pleasee hahahah, let me have a way of saving all of these lessons from your videos on pdf/epub/mobi. You can even release a second, more complete book. Or a second edition. I'd buy it.

[emplore]

So does anyone know how you would say "I can understand the book" in Japanese?
Would it be Hon wa watashi ga yomeru?

[lennardtimmermann]

Although I have not even passed N5 lvl of Japanese, I do feel like having an explanation for the "problem" arising with 食べたい, following your previous explanations. Please correct me if this is going the wrong direction at some point.

I am thinking of 私が　食べたい as in the desire to eat is invoked by "I" / 私. There is something within myself, that is invoking the desire. No cake, or dish is invoking it. And certainly the general concept of food (食べ物) is not, what invokes my desire to eat. But a part of myself is doing so. It may be my digestive system (as a part of 私) or my ego greeding to have food ( just as well as a part of 私 ) or anything that is part of the concept described by 私.
Thinking about it this way, 　(0が)東京に行きたいです。is making sense, as the desire to go to Tokyo is being invoked by something within me, and I might not even be able to point out what it is exactly, but it's certainly coming from within 私.
Therefore, it appears to me, that たい is not switching it's use in any way, but actually stays the engine of 私が all the way.

I hope I made my thoughts visual enough to follow, as it felt a little clumsy of an explanation 😅

[mikomichael]

Excellent as always❤️ kind of missing the 2d style and the old intro

[Nico_-q]

9:40 in this case, is it correct to say "東京が行きたい"?

[GarrisonMorton]

All this talk about switching polarity makes me think of Star Trek.

[animephilosopher]

I have a question regarding “older” Japanese, sometimes I hear them say like in mononoke-hime, わが名はアシタカ。is this older style of speaking closer to the concept of zero-が? As they seam to always use ga and ha.