PREFACE: This is a nine part series of some important things to keep in mind while studying Japanese

PREFACE: This is a nine part series of some important things to keep in mind while studying Japanese grammar. It’s very different from English, so try not to study it through an “English lens.” To understand grammar points better, it’s really beneficial to learn the characteristics behind Japanese grammar. These notes are taken from A Dictionary of Japanese Grammar. To see the other parts, click here. PS: I’ve decided to skip part 6 (politeness and formality).9. ViewpointThere is more than one way to describe an event, so viewpoint is important when choosing which expressions to use. For example these two sentences express the same event but uses a different viewpoint: 1) A hit B; 2) B was hit by A. In 1, the event is described through A’s perspective while in 2, it is described through B’s perspective.Here are some rules regarding viewpoint that are generally universal:The viewpoint should be consistent within a sentence.When the sentence includes “A’s B” (for example, John’s wife), the speaker is taking A’s viewpoint rather than B’s.When the speaker empathizes with someone, the speaker tends to take that person’s viewpoint.The speaker usually describes events from his own viewpoint when he is involved.Here are some rules regarding viewpoint that are specific to Japanese:Giving and receiving verbs require certain viewpoints depending on the verbやる / あげる: to give; requires the giver’s viewpoint or a neutral viewpointくれる: to give; requires the receiver’s viewpointもらう/いただく: to get/receive; requires the receiver’s viewpoint(I go more in depth about this on this post.)For the verb くる (to come), the arrival point is somewhere close to the speaker’s viewpoint. Similarly, for the vern いく (to go), the departure point is somewhere close to the speaker’s viewpoint.Example:(If speaker is currently in Japan)私は来年アメリカに行きます。わたしはらいねんアメリカにいきます。not 私は来年アメリカに来ます。わたしはらいねんアメリカにきます。I will go to America next year.not I will come to America next year.When adjectives like ほしい (want/desirable) うれしい (happy) and かなしい (sad) are used with a third person subject, the speaker is empathizing with that person. It implies the speaker is taking the viewpoint of that person.Example:通りがかりの人が嬉しい。とおりがかりのひとがうれしい。(** incorrect **)A passerby is happy.This sentence is incorrect because the speaker is unable to empathize with the subject.When じぶん (self) is used, the speaker tends to empathize with who じぶん is referring to, implying the speaker is taking the viewpoint of that person.Example:メアリーはジムが自分を愛していると信じていた。メアリーはジムがじぶんをあいしているとしんじていた。Mary believed that Jim loved her. -- source link

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