Saturday 21 November 2015

grammar - + がよい ― How is this allowed?


I've come across this form many times in my Japanese Bible. The meaning is quite obvious based on context, and seems to be one of the following: ~べきです, ~ほうがいい, ~なさい, or ~ように (let it be ~).


Here are a few verses with this form:





  • 神を[畏]{おそ}れる人は皆、聞くがよい... ― 詩編 66編16節 / Come and hear, all who fear God... - Psalm 66:16

  • イエスは、「友よ、しようとしていることをするがよい」と言われた。すると人々は進み寄り、イエスに手をかけて捕らえた。 ― マタイによる福音書 26章50節 / And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. - Matthew 26:50

  • イエスは、「さあ、あなたがただけで人里離れた所へ行って、しばらく休むがよい」と言われた... - マルコによる福音書 6章31節 / And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” - Mark 6:31

  • しかし、たとえわたしたち自身であれ、天使であれ、わたしたちがあなたがたに告げ知らせたものに反する福音を告げ知らせようとするならば、呪われるがよい。 - ガラテヤの信徒への手紙1章8節 / But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be cursed! - Galatians 1:8



How is this form "allowed" to exist without a こと/の following the verb? Is this only a literary written form or something? Because I've never seen this form anywhere except my Bible.



Answer



That structure came from classical Japanese (文語), which had been used in formal writing until just after WWII. Technically those are not 辞書形 (終止形), but 連体形. In classical Japanese, the 連体形 of a verb can work as a noun, like 連体形 + の/こと in modern Japanese (口語).


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