(A) パリに友達がいます。あの友達は、やさしいです。 I have a friend in Paris. She (or he) is kind.
(B) パリに友達がいます。その友達は、やさしいです。 I have a friend in Paris. She (or he) is kind.
Sentences (A)
sounds a bit strange, while (B) is perfect. I think this might be confusing, so
I will explain it in detail.
Basic principle
あそこに鳥がいるよ。あの鳥はツバメだよ。 There's a bird over there. That is a swallow.
The word あの implies the subject matter is far from the
speaker and the listener. In the above example, the bird exists “over there”.
As it is visible and far from the two, あの is used to refer the bird.
Hiroko: 山田先生の授業、受けてる? Are you coming to Mr. Yamada's class?
Sayaka: もちろん。 Of course!
Hiroko: あの先生は、早口だね。 The teacher speaks fast.
Both Hiroko and
Sayaka knows Mr. Yamada, and he is not present. As Mr. Yamada is equally far
from the two, あの先生 must be used
when they refer to him.
その醤油とって? Could you pass me the soy sauce?
When you ask
someone to pass “the soy sauce” for you, it must be close to the person and
away from you. In such a case, その is used to refer “the soy sauce.”
Exceptional
cases
パリに友達がいます。あの友達は、やさしいです。 (Incorrect)
One might think
that the friend is far from the two, but it is wrong. The listener didn’t know
“a friend in Paris”, so the speaker put it in the listener's mind with the
first sentence. The speaker now feels that “the friend” is in the listener’s
mind, which means that it is close to the listener and away from the speaker.
That is why その must be chosen
in the second sentence.
Hiroko: パリに友達がいるんだ。 I have a friend in Paris.
Sayaka: へえ。その子、フランス人? Oh, do you! Is she (or he) French?
Hiroko has put
“a friend in Paris” in Sayaka's mind with the first sentence. Though “the
friend” has come close to Sayaka from Hiroko’s point of view, it is still in
Hiroko’s mind from Sayaka’s point of view. Sayaka should refer to Hiroko’s mind
when she talks about “the friend.” Therefore she must use その.
You can read this article in Japanese.
http://meadowlake001.blogspot.jp/2015/01/the-demonstrative-adjectives-and.html
Tips on Japanese (Web site)
http://www7b.biglobe.ne.jp/~meadowlake/
Excellent point! I would never known this without your illuminating it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your compliment! I really needed it.
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