As we saw in the overview article, Matsushita Daizaburō’s grammar starts from not seeing o and ni as words. So in what units does he see a sentence? We read Chapter 5 of Hyōjun Nihon Bunpō, “Gengo no taikei” (The System of Language), in plain terms. (English renderings of the quotations are ToL translations.)
Three steps
Matsushita organizes the construction of language as follows.
言語の構成上には、其の内面たる思想の構成上の三階段に順応する三階段が無ければならない。即ち断定に対しては断句、観念に対しては念詞、観念材料に対しては原辞、此の三階段が有る。
(In the construction of language, there must be three steps corresponding to the three steps in the construction of thought, its inner side. That is, for judgment there is the danku, for ideas the nenshi, and for the material of ideas the genji — these three steps.)
Three of Matsushita’s terms appear here.
| Term | What it corresponds to | Closest ordinary notion |
|---|---|---|
| Danku | Judgment (a unit of speech) | Sentence |
| Nenshi (for short, shi) | Idea (one thought) | Close to the bunsetsu |
| Genji | The material of an idea | Parts of a word (word pieces, particles, auxiliaries) |
Danku — up to where the sense breaks
The danku is the unit of speech. Matsushita explains it thus. A danku is something where the sense is cut off; however long a stretch runs, so long as the sense does not break it is not yet one danku, and only when it goes on to the place where the sense breaks is it one danku.
(Matsushita calls this the “unit of speech” [setsuwa no tan’i].)
Nenshi — “hana o” and “sakitari” are each one
The nenshi is the unit Matsushita puts the most weight on. It is something that expresses one idea by its own power. “Yama” (mountain), “kawa” (river), “yuku” (go), “tōshi” (far), and the like are given as examples.
Then what about “hana o,” “tsuki ni,” “sakitari”? This is where he differs greatly from school grammar. Matsushita says:
「を」「に」「たり」「けり」は自身は一詞ではなく、詞へ附いて「花を」「月に」「咲きたり」「出でけり」などとなつて、「花」「月」「咲き」「出で」と共に一詞になるのである。
(O, ni, tari, keri are not in themselves one word; attached to words they become “hana o,” “tsuki ni,” “sakitari,” “idekeri,” and so on, and together with “hana,” “tsuki,” “saki,” “ide” become one word.)
So in Matsushita’s view, “hana o” is one word, and “sakitari” is one word. O and tari are not counted as words.
Genji — the parts of a word
What, then, are o and tari? Matsushita calls them genji. A genji is the material of a word. The opening of Part 2, “Genji-ron,” reads:
原辞論は文法学の二分科の一つであって、念詞の材料たる原辞の、念詞中に於ける文法的法則を論ずるものである。
(The theory of genji is one of the two branches of grammar, and discusses the grammatical rules of the genji, the material of the nenshi, within the nenshi.)
Genji are not only attached things like o and tari. Matsushita gives “gakusei-rashii” as an example. “Gakusei-rashii” is one word. Because rashii cannot express an idea by its own power, it cannot be split into the two words “gakusei” and “rashii.” But it can be divided into three genji: “gaku,” “sei,” “rashii.”
Why this way of dividing is interesting
Read this way, the ordinary sentence looks a little different.
- The o of “hana o” works only when attached to hana. Matsushita does not count o alone as a word.
- A form like “gakusei-rashii,” with what is usually called a suffix, can be treated as one word.
- Grammar is divided into two fields: one dealing with the parts of words (genji-ron), and one dealing with words themselves. Genji-ron is described as “one of the two branches of grammar.”
What to keep in mind when reading
What is introduced in this article is the entrance to Matsushita’s system. Two points deserve care.
First, the nenshi is not exactly the same as the school-grammar bunsetsu. They are similar in many respects, but Matsushita decides by his own criterion (whether it expresses one idea by its own power). We do not assert they are the same.
Second, whether this three-step view is right, or convenient, is a separate question. We sort that out in the verdict article.
Summary
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Three steps | Danku (unit of utterance), nenshi (word), genji (part) |
| Nenshi | What expresses one idea by its own power. “Hana o” and “sakitari” are each one word |
| O, tari | Not words in themselves; parts that attach to a word to make one word |
| Genji | The material of a word. “Gakusei-rashii” consists of three genji: “gaku,” “sei,” “rashii” |
In a nutshell — Matsushita Daizaburō did not count o and tari as words, and saw “hana o” and “sakitari,” with them attached, as single words.