July 17th - July 24th Pages: 2-9 (new edition)
(Not in the old edition)
There are 8 additional pages in the new edition that don’t feature in the original book. We started looking at the first few pages before the main book club reading started but didn’t finish.
For those who want to here’s a thread for discussing these pages. For those who don’t, skip ahead to Wrap Up & Final Comments!
Main なぜ？どうして？科学のお話 thread: Link Wrap Up & Final Comments: Link
These were my thoughts on page 2 when we looked at it in the home thread previously:
Page 2
みぢかなものをよく見てみよう
Let’s try looking closely at some familiar things
ぎもん1
Question 1
なぜこういう形なのかな？
なぜ - why
こういう - such, this sort of
形 - shape
なのかな - かな expresses the concept “I wonder” or expresses doubt. If you add の before かな it stresses the uncertainty. When のかなcomes after a noun or な-adjective it becomes なのかな. Grammar link - Maggie Sensei
Why this sort of shape I wonder?
なにかいみがあるのかな
なにか - something, or “what” followed by a question particle
いみ- meaning, significance
が - topic marking particle
ある - to exist
のかな - expressing wonder (see above, this time after a verb so does have な at the front)
I wonder if there is a significance?
みのまわりの ものを、よく 見て みましょう。
みのまわり - literally “surrounding oneself” (身の回り) = one’s personal belongings, one’s possessions, one’s daily life
の - possession particle
もの - things
を - object marking particle
よく見てみましょう - let’s try looking closely (see above - this time in the more formal volitional form of the verb at the end)
Let’s try looking closely at the things around us in our daily life.
I have read p. 2-5 some time ago and to me they didn’t seem as interesting and well written as the other stories in the book. Therefore I didn’t even try to read the remaining p. 6-9.
Next, let’s try to imagine what going on in places we can’t see.
たとえばはブラシ。ブラシの一体一体なぜぬけないのでしょう。
For example, the toothbrush. Why do the brush’s bristles not fall out? Translating 一本一本 as bristles in this context. There wasn’t a specific definition in Jisho, I’m guessing it just means “long thin things”.
中はどうなっていると思いますか。
What do you think is going on inside?
ふるとカラカラ音のするスプレーがあります。
There’s a spray that makes a rattling noise when you shake it.
In this brush, the bundles are melted together and have been made to bulge.
Another suggestion in the vocab sheet for とかす was “to comb out” but I’ve gone for “to melt” as in the base of the bristles are melted together. Not sure I’m right though!
I think the てある structure at the end means: is/has been done (resulting state). According to this reference
これならぬけにくく、作るのもむずかしくなさそうですね。
This makes them hard to pull out, and also difficult to manufacture, doesn’t it seem? This was tricky, particularly the なさそうですね at the end. Not sure if this is right.
ハブラシの作り方は、ほかにもあるので、しらべてみるとよいでしょう。
There are other ways to manufacture a toothbrush too, so this would be good for you to try and look into. This sentence asking 8 year olds to go away and do more research into toothbrush manufacture feels like the most Japanese one of the book so far!
スプレーかんには、金ぞくの玉が入っていました。
In spray cans, a metal ball is put inside.
ふったとき、えき体がよくまざるためです。
It’s there so that when the can is shaken, the liquid gets well mixed.
カップラーメンのめんは、下まで入っていませんでした。
The noodles in a cup ramen are not inserted all the way to the bottom.
Pictures:
毛をまとめてとかしてふくらませ、プラスチックでつつんでいる。
The bristles are melted together, made to bulge, and tucked into plastic.
中みがよくまざるように、たまがはいっている。
A ball is placed inside so that the contents are well mixed.
This section seemed a bit harder that the the rest of the book, more technical? I just finished but for every page I’ve needed your translation to turn it from gibberish to a coherent sentence.
I’m not quite sure why but it’s definitely seemed more difficult. Maybe it’s just that it’s written in a different style. We’ve often noticed that the start of a new book is quite challenging as there is a particular style and language that you need to get used to.
I agree with your sentence on page 9 except I went for “prevent the container being crushed”. I think what they are saying is that the noodles would swell sideways as well as up and it could break the container.
Page 9
めんのりょうがちょうどよく、まん中あたりにあることで、いれものがつぶれるのをふせいでいるのです。
The amount of noodles is exactly right, and they sit around the middle, to prevent the container being crushed.
It’s easier to see why it means this if we put in the kanji:
入れ物（いれもの）(n) container
が (subject particle)
潰れる（つぶれる）(vi) to be crushed, to be smashed, to be broken, to collapse
の (nominalising particle – turns a verb or sentence into a noun)
を (object particle – makes a noun the object of a verb)
防いで（ふせいで）＝ -te form of 防ぐ（ふせぐ）(vt) to prevent, to avoid
いる -ing (continuing action or state)
のです (indicates that this is an explanation of something)
The tricky bit of grammar in this sentence is the way the nominaliser の turns the clause
入れ物が潰れる（いれものがつぶれる）the container collapses
into the noun phrase
入れ物が潰れるの（いれものがつぶれるの）
the container’s collapsing/the collapse of the container
and then the object particle を makes this new noun phrase into the object of the verb
防ぐ（ふせぐ）to prevent
giving the meaning:
入れ物が潰れるのを防ぐ（いれものがつぶれるのをふせぐ）
to prevent {the container’s collapsing/the collapse of the container}
Then we change the verb 防ぐ（ふせぐ）into the ている form
防いでいる（ふせいでいる）
to make this prevention a continuing state:
入れ物が潰れるのを防いでいる（いれものがつぶれるのをふせいでいる）
preventing {the container’s collapsing/the collapse of the container}
or, in more natural English:
preventing the container from collapsing
and then we add のです at the end to indicate that this whole thing was an explanation of something.
This is very helpful, thank you! I’ve been trying to break down sentences in this same manner but when I misinterpret a grammar particle or verb turns it quite wrong. It’s good to know that I’m at least working on it correctly and as I expand my grammer/vocab it’ll get easier.
It’s good to know that I’m at least working on it correctly and as I expand my grammer/vocab it’ll get easier.