A study of three expressions of purpose in Japanese : tame ni, no ni, and yoo ni

Abstract

Adverbs and adverbial clauses have received little attention from Japanese linguists to date. In this paper, three adverbial clauses, TAME NI, NO NI, and YOO NI, denoting 'purpose' are examined. Presented in most Japanese textbooks for beginners, these expressions are a source of considerable confusion for students, due to considerable similarity in their meaning and in the contexts in which they appear. The paper first presents an overview of TAME NI and NO NI constructions and discusses their difference in meaning. It reveals that Purpose TAME NI focuses on the goal of the action described and Purpose NO NI on the manner or process involved. The sequential relation between the purposive and the main clause is the crucial factor of Purpose TAME NI construction. It is suggested that, unlike the NI of Purpose TAME NI which indicates the goal, the particle NI of Purpose NO NI indicates the co-temporal relationship between the subordinate and the main clause. NI points to the occasion on which the event described in the main clause occurs. The NI of YOO NI indicates the goal, as does the NI of TAME NI. However, the difference lies in the attitude of the subject toward the purpose. With TAME NI, the subject tries to achieve the purpose through his own effort, whereas YOO NI indicates more of a di sire or wish on the part of the subject of the main clause (Kitagawa (1972), Kunihiro (1982)).