じぶん Japanese Grammar Lesson
Grammar Type: Reflexive Pronoun
Essential Meaning: Oneself / One’s own~
Construction: Pronoun
Notes:
- じぶん (自分 in kanji) is a reflexive pronoun that refers to the subject or topic of the sentence’s main clause. It roughly translates to English reflexive pronouns (i.e. “Oneself“, “Himself“, “Herself“, “One’s“). Grammatically, an antecedent is a person or thing to which a pronoun refers; the antecedent must be introduced into the sentence as the topic or subject before it can be referred to reflexively by 自分. Depending on the context, 自分 can be interpreted as a contrastive marker (i.e. contrasting the antecedent with other individuals) or an empathy marker (i.e. expressing empathy or fondness with the antecedent).
- E.g. メアリーは自分でなんでもする。[Mary does everything herself.] In this example, Mary is the topic of the sentence and 自分 refers reflexively to her.
- 自分 as a contrastive marker:
- If one the following three conditions is met, 自分 takes a contrastive meaning (i.e. it contrasts the subject / topic with other individuals).
- (1) The antecedent is an agent (i.e. an individual who willfully and actively initiates or completes some action)
- E.g. マイクはいつも自分の部屋で勉強している。[Mike is always studying in his dorm room (in contrast to someone else’s dorm room).] Mike is an individual who willfully performs the action of studying, so 自分 takes a contrastive interpretation.
- (2) The subject is generic (e.g. “Japanese People“, “Oneself“)
- E.g. 自分を知ることが一番難しい。[To know oneself (in contrast to knowing others) is the most difficult thing.] The sentence refers to “oneself” in a generic sense, so 自分 take a contrastive interpretation.
- (3) 自分 cannot be replaced by an implicit or explicit 3rd person pronoun.
- 一男は自分をはげました。[Kazuo braced himself (in contrast to embracing someone else).] Kazuo can not be eliminated or replaced with a third person pronoun (e.g. かれ [Him]) without altering the meaning of the sentence. This, 自分 takes a contrastive interpretation.
- (1) The antecedent is an agent (i.e. an individual who willfully and actively initiates or completes some action)
- If one the following three conditions is met, 自分 takes a contrastive meaning (i.e. it contrasts the subject / topic with other individuals).
- 自分 as an empathy marker:
- If none of the above conditions is met, 自分 takes an empathetic interpretation. In other words, if the antecedent is a non-generic individual and does not willfully and volitionally perform some action, the sentence is not contrastive and simply expresses fondness or empathy for the subject / topic.
- With the empathetic interpretation of 自分, the sentence must express a situation where the subject / topic can somehow emphasize with the action or state expressed in the main clause.
- E.g. 知子は自分が死んだあとで子供が大学に入った。[After Tomoko died, her child entered university.] After Tomoko is dead, she clearly cannot cognize or emphasize with the act of her child entering university. Thus, this sentence is ungrammatical.
- E.g. Speaking to Oneself: ジョンは自分が本当に好きなんだろうか。[Does John really like me?] In this example, the speaker is the passive experiencer of John’s love (or so she hopes). Thus, 自分 takes an empathetic interpretation.
- E.g. 中川は自分が京大に入れると思っていなかった。[Mr. Nakagawa didn’t think that he could get into Kyoto University.] In this case, getting into Kyoto University is not something that Nakagawa has volitional control over. Thus, 自分 takes an empathetic interpretation.
- E.g. 一郎は冬子が自分に会いに来たときうちにいなかった。[Ichiro wasn’t at home when Fuyuko came to see him.] In this case, Ichiro is the passive experiencer of Fuyuko coming over. Thus, 自分 takes an empathetic interpretation.
- E.g. ジョンはメアリーのことを思っていた。彼女は自分と結婚してくれるんだろうか。自分を捨てて、ボブと結婚するんだろうか。[John was thinking about Mary. “Is she going to marry me? Is she going to toss me aside and marry Bob?”] In this case, John is the passive experiencer of getting married to and getting dumped (in John’s imagination). Thus, 自分 takes an empathetic interpretation.
- In some sentences that involve multiple individuals, the person to whom 自分 refers may be ambiguous, and whether 自分 is contrastive or empathetic may also be ambiguous.
- E.g. 道子は一男に自分の車で行かせた。[Michiko made Kazuo go in her car / Michiko made Kazuo go in his own car.] In this sentence, Michiko is the active agent and Kazuo is the passive experiencer (i.e. the one being made to do something). So, if 自分 is referring to the agent Michiko, 自分 should be interpreted contrastively (i.e. “Michiko made Kazuo go in her car (as opposed to his own.”)) If 自分 is referring to the passive experiencer Kazuo, 自分 should be interpreted empathetically (i.e. “Michiko made Kazuo go in his own car.”) It would probably be best to just rewrite this sentence in a less ambiguous way.
Example Sentences:
土田は幸子が自分を愛していることを知らなかった。[Tsuchida didn’t that that Sachiko loved him.]
Speaking to Oneself: ジョンは自分が本当に好きなんだろうか。[Does John really like me?]
日本人は自分の国の文化をユニークだと思っている。[Japanese people think that their own country’s culture is unique.]
メアリーは自分でなんでもする。[Mary does everything herself.]
小林は自分からしたいと言った。[Kobayashi said himself (i.e. voluntarily) that he wanted to do it.]
先生はご自分の家で私に会って下さった。[Sensei kindly met me at his own house.]
WILD Examples:
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