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ですます体／である体

Japanese translation: polite form/plain form

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:ですます体／である体
Japanese translation:polite form/plain form
Entered by: Mariko Kobayashi

03:06 Jan 29, 2005
English to Japanese translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / Style of Japanese
English term or phrase: ですます体／である体
海外の翻訳エージェントとのやり取りで訳の和文を「ですます体」にするか「である体」にするかが話題になった場合それぞれ何て言いますか？
cinefil
Japan
Local time: 00:13
polite form/plain form
Explanation:
オーストラリアの高校の日本語の教科書ではそういう言い回しになっています。他の英語圏でどういうのか、翻訳の世界でどういうのか、私も知りたいです。
Selected response from:

Mariko Kobayashi
Australia
Local time: 01:13
Grading comment
有り難うございました。
その後調べてみると desu/masu form（polite style), dearu form(thesis style)という表現があること。あるいは一部の関係者はdistal style/direct styleという言葉も使っているようであることが分かりました。

3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5polite form/plain form
Mariko Kobayashi
4informal style/formal style
humbird


  

Answers


31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
ですます体／である体
polite form/plain form


Explanation:
オーストラリアの高校の日本語の教科書ではそういう言い回しになっています。他の英語圏でどういうのか、翻訳の世界でどういうのか、私も知りたいです。

Mariko Kobayashi
Australia
Local time: 01:13
Native speaker of: Japanese
PRO pts in category: 7
Grading comment
有り難うございました。
その後調べてみると desu/masu form（polite style), dearu form(thesis style)という表現があること。あるいは一部の関係者はdistal style/direct styleという言葉も使っているようであることが分かりました。

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  jsl (X): Many Japanese text books written in English use this polite-plain distinction.
1 hr
agree  Will Matter: For example, desu/-masen ending is called the "polite form" and da/-nai ending is the "plain form".
2 hrs
agree  TomoQ
1 day 5 hrs
agree  Katsuhiko KAKUNO, Ph.D.
6 days
agree  Minoru Kuwahara: i guess it would be easy to use the words that way to explain basic Japanese. thank you for a 'plain' sample. -
9 days
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
ですます体／である体
informal style/formal style


Explanation:
I don't know any boiler plate term for this in English, but to me my answer would explain something of the nature of these two different styles.
As far as I know ですます never been used in formal documents such as laws and statutes. It is a sort of opposite to である体, because is stiff and conveys some authoritative air with it.
Reason I would like to call である体 formal is just that.

humbird
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
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