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The -(Sa)sete Itadakimasu Phenomenon:

From the 2015 Nationwide Survey on Changes in the Japanese

Language (Part II)1

July 2017

Takehiro Shioda

Media Research Division

NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute

1 Sasete itadakimasu ni tsuite kakasete itadakimasu: 2015-nen Nihongo no yure ni kansuru chsa kara (2)

[Please Allow Me to Write about an Expression Please Allow Me (Sasete Itadaki-masu)], originally

published in the September 2016 issue of Hs kenky to chsa [NHK Monthly Report on Broadcast Research].

Full text in Japanese available at: http://www.nhk.or.jp/bunken/research/kotoba/pdf/20160901_7.pdf

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The findings of the 2015 Nationwide Survey on Changes in the Japanese

Language conducted from March 6 through 15, 2015 (1,192 responses) may be

summed up as follows.

- Contrary to the claim made by previous studies, expressions such as daremo yaranasas da (nobody seems to do it) and tsumaranasas da (it seems boring)

have been judged to be preferable to expressions without the syllable sa, as

in daremo yaranas da and tsumaranas da. This preference is particularly

notable in western Japan, and it looks as if inserting sa, as in -nasas da, is

widely favored in this area.

- The use of -(sa)sete itadakimasu (please allow me [verb]) in modern Japanese was examined and it was found that this phrase may be accepted when used

with kinen (prohibit smoking), sashihikae (refrain from something), kygy

(be closed), and nebiki (discount). On the other hand, it is not generally

accepted when used with eigy (be open [for business]), o-uttae (appeal),

kand (be moved by something), and choko o watasu (give chocolates).

Analysis of some geographical differences shows that people in the Kansai,

Tkai, and Kshinetsu regions tend to use -(sa)sete itadakimasu but those in

the Kant region do so less frequently.2

This analysis of results of the Nationwide Survey on Changes in the Japanese Language

conducted in March of 2015, follows the report by Yko Yamashita and Hiroyuki Inoue

(2016) published in Japanese in the June 2016 issue. The simple tabulation of survey results is

included in the June issue as well.

1. Concerning -nas da/nasas da

The expression tsumaranai ysu (a boring appearance) can be rephrased as tsumaranas

da (it looks as if someone is bored). In modern Japanese, however, some speakers tend to

insert the syllable sa, as in tsumaranasas da.

2 The regions of Japan as referred to in this paper are: Kant (Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba,

and Kanagawa prefectures); Kansai/Kinki (Wakayama, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Hygo, and Shiga prefectures);

Tkai (Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures); Kshinetsu (Niigata, Nagano, and Yamanashi prefectures).

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See the following song verses:

Tabako o suinagara itsudemo tsumaranas ni

(Smoking a cigarette, he always seems dull and bored

Tabako o suinagara itsudemo heya ni hitori

(Always in his room alone, just smoking cigarettes)

(from Boku no suki na sensei (My Favorite Teacher);

song by RC Sakuseshon (RC Succession); verse by Kiyoshir Imawano)

Kesshite onnanoko-tachi ni moteru taipu ja nai keredo

(He may not be the type whos popular with the girls)

Nazeka ki ni natteru no

(But somehow hes always on my mind)

Tsumaranas ni benky shiteru shsai-kun

(The smart kid whos looking bored while studying)

(from Koi no keik to taisaku (The Tendencies and Strategies of Love;

song by SKE 48; verse by Yasushi Akimoto)

Watashi no taipu ja nakatta

(He was not my type)

Amari shaberanai shi tsumaranasas de

(He doesnt say much and looks bored)

Minna de ocha o shite ita toki suterareta koinu to anata ga asondeta

(We were having tea when I saw you playing with the stray puppy)

(from Inugo o hanaseru otokonoko (The Boy Who Speaks Dog Language);

song by Watari Rka Hashiritai 7; verse by Yasushi Akimoto)

As seen in the second and third song verses above, we can see that even the same song-writer

uses both tsumaranas and tamaranasas. This pair is not the only expression in which the

insertion of sa fluctuates. In modern Japanese, we frequently observe a similar fluctuation

between the negative form nai with s da such as -nas da vs. -nasas da, as illustrated in

the following weekly magazine headlines:

Dansei ni tsukusenasas da kara yaku dewa tsukushitai desu.

(Because it seems that I will not be able to devote myself to a man in my real life, I want

to be able to do so in my acting.)

(from Aera, April 5, 2010, p. 83; conversation with Matsushita Nao)

Ato de okoru toki no tame ni fudan wa okoranasas na kao o shitemasu

(I usually try not to look angry so that I can get really mad later)

(from Aera, April 26, 2010, p.63, conversation with Yumiko Inoue)

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The phrases in the above examples are assumed to pose no usage issues, even when sa is

not inserted, as in tsukusenas and okoranas. Let us first examine some of the original

determining factors or tendencies for the choice between -nas da and -nasas da. When a

word that ends with -nai is joined by s da, the choice between -nas da and nasas da may

be determined by the grammatical characteristics of the words.

First of all, words that end with -nai can be categorized into five groups depending on

the grammatical characteristics of the words. What follows is a summary of the forms of the

words when joined by s da, based on the Meiky kokugo jiten [Meiky Japanese Language

Dictionary] (2010), edited by Kitahara Yasuo.

[Usage Tendencies]

1. Adjective nai (something does not exist) => nasas da

[Examples]

Shiai ga nai (There will be no game.)

Kane mo jikan mo nai (I have neither money nor time.)

Mita koto wa nai (I have never seen this.)

Kare ga kuru hazu ga nai (There is no way that he will come here.)

=> E.g., Shiai ga nasas da (It seems that there will be no game.)

2. Supplemental adjective nai (negative of adjective plus copula) => nasas da

[Examples]

warukunai (not bad); sukunakunai (not too few); shizuka dewa nai (not quiet);

hannin wa boku ja nai (I am not the offender.)

=> E.g., warukunasas da (It seems that this is not too bad.)

3. Adjectives of the meanings of 1. and 2. above that end with nai => nasas da

[Examples]

sashitsukaenai (not interfering; doesnt matter); otonagenai (childish);

shikatanai (it cannot be helped); josainai (tactful); sokkenai (blunt); tayorinai

(not dependable); darashinai (not neat); chigainai (be no doubt); tondemonai

(ridiculous); nasakenai (wretched); mittomonai (indecent; shameful);

menmokunai (embarrassing); mottainai (wasteful); mshiwakenai (sorry);

yarusenai (helpless)

=> E.g., sashitsukaenasas da (it does not seem to matter)

4. Adjectives containing the suffix nai but not the negative form

=> nas da is generally accepted but nasas da is also used when used in

idiomatic form.

[Examples]

obotsukanai (uncertain); adokenai (angelic); egetsunai (vulgar); gikochinai

(awkward); shidokenai (slovenly); setsunai (unbearable); sewashinai (restless);

5

hashitanai (disgraceful)

=> E.g., obotsukanas da or obotsukanasas da (someone seems uncertain)

5 Auxiliary verb nai (negative verbs)

=> nas da (nasas da is also used, but it is non-standard3)

[Examples]

shiranai (not know); akitarinai (unsatisfactory); kakenai (cannot write);

kamawanai (something does not matter); kudaranai (worthless); sumanai (does

not end); tarinai (not sufficient); tsumaranai (boring); hoka naranai (none other

than); yamuoenai (no choice but); sdan shinai (do not consult); seii ga

kanjirarenai (cannot feel sincerity)

=> E.g., shiranas da (shiranasas da is non-standard)

Source: Yasuo Kitahara (ed.). 2010. Meiky kokugo jiten, p. 1,280.

Following the tendencies of the examples given above, tsumaranas da is used commonly

and tsumaranasas da is non-standard. As a part of speech, tsumaranai (boring) is regarded

as either an adjective or a compound form. From the phonological viewpoint, the accent

pattern of tsumara\nai, in which the pitch drops after the third syllable and the latter two

syllables are in low pitch, is not a typical accent pattern of adjectives. The basic accent pattern

of adjectives is either the last two syllables being flat or the high pitch in the second from the

last syllable followed by a low pitch (see Shioda 2016). If we apply this adjective accent

pattern, tsumarana- should have the high pitch and the pitch should drop at the last syllable

i, but this does not happen with tsumaranai. Here we consider tsumaranai as a compound

form, consisting of the verb tsumaru (to be blocked) and suffixed to it, the auxiliary negative

verb nai (i.e., the fifth category of the above chart).

In the chart above, nasas da in category 5 is considered non-standard, but this view is

not shared by all. For instance, Shigehiro Kat and Tomohiko Yoshida (2004, pp. 8588)

indicate that the negative form of hares da (it looks as if it will clear up) is harenasas da.

The tendency in the chart above may seem extremely complex. It can, however, be

reorganized in