なぜ?どうして?Finished!

I read this as “the school you go to” which is just the same of course! Thank you @QuackingShoe!

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Page 91

この 四つの 音から なる メロディーは、イギリスで うまれました。

This four note melody was born in England.

Note: なる meaning “to consist of” rather than “to become”

首都ロンドンの 中心部に、ウェストミンスター宮殿と いう、国会ぎじどうに あたる たてものが あります。

In the heart of the capital London, attached to the national parliament building (called the Palace of Westminster), there is a building.

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I confess I’m not completely sure exactly what the から is doing…

How do you figure “attached to”? I was thinking something along the lines of “which serves as the Houses of Parliament” (Another word that I don’t quite get - which of the umpteen definitions of あたる even fits here?)

I thought the から made sense as “made up from four notes”.

You are probably right on あたる: “Which serves as the national parliament building”, or Jisho definition number 9 - “to be assigned”.

In the heart of the capital London, there is a building which is assigned as the national parliament building, called the Palace of Westminster.

I was thinking “attached” in the sense of ‘there is a building attached to the Palace of Westminster called Big Ben’. But looking ahead I don’t think that’s where the passage is going.

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I should hope not. Big Ben is the bell that chimes the hour. The tower is Elizabeth Tower, though admittedly it’s only had that name since 2012 - prior to that it was just “the clock tower on the Houses of Parliament”.

Technically it’s the name of the bell but in real life most people call the tower Big Ben.

I guess we’ll find out on the next page what the book thinks it is!

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I was thinking number 3, “to be equivalent to”, ie. the Palace of Westminster is equivalent to the Parliament Building. But yes, you’re right, number 9 fits just as well!

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Page 91

Caption:

ロンドンの ウェストミンスター宮殿に たつ ビッグ•ベン

ロンドンの - London’s
ウェストミンスター宮殿 - Westminster Palace
に - in
たつ - 立つ, to stand
ビッグ•ベン - Big Ben

Big Ben, which stands in London’s Westminster Palace

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I think you might be right as 国会議事堂 in Jisho refers to national parliament or congress building (e.g. National Diet Building (Japan) , United States Capitol (USA), Houses of Parliament (UK), etc.)

So if you’re a kid in Japan and read this word, you would probably think of the National Diet Building in Japan rather than United States Capitol (USA), Houses of Parliament (UK).

So I think the sentence may be saying

There’s a building equivalent to the National Diet Building called the Palace of Westminster….

(I think I entered あたる and国会議事堂 translations incorrectly into the google doc vocab. list, sorry.:unamused:)

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Ah, that’s an intriguing thought…

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Page 92

「ビッグ•ベン」と よばれる この たてものの 時計とうには, はばが, およそ 三メートルの 大きな かねと, 四つの ちいさな かねが あります.

「ビッグ•ベン」- “Big Ben”
と - quotation particle
よばれる - to be called, to be referred to as
この - this
たてものの - building’s
時計とう - clock tower
に - in
は - subject particle
はばが - width, and が particle
およそ - about, apx
三メートルの大きな - 3 metres big
かね - bell
と - and
四つの - four
ちいさなかねが - small bells + が
あります - there is/are

There is one big bell about 3 metres wide and four small bells in this building’s clock tower which is known as “Big Ben”.

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Page 92 - my efforts!

「ビッグ•ベン」と よばれる この たてものの とけいとうには、およそ 三メートルの 大きな かねと、四つの 小さいな かねが あります。

Called Big Ben, in this clock tower is a large bell roughly 3 metres in width, and four small bells.

I agree with you @marcusp I think the book is calling the clock tower Big Ben, not the bell…

日本の 学校の チャイムは、この ビッグ•ベンの かねの メロディーから 来ているのです。

The chime in Japanese schools comes from the tune of Big Ben’s bell.

むかし、日本の 学校では、けたたましい ベルや サイレンで 時間を 知らせていました。

Long ago in Japanese schools, things like a piercing bell or a siren notified the time.

せんそうが おわってからも、しばらく この 音が つかわれて いましたが、空しゅうけいほうを 思いだすと いわれ、ひょうばんが よく ありませんでした。

After the war ended, for a while this sound continued to be used, but because it reminded people of the air raid siren, it wasn’t very popular.

せんそうが おわってからも、Even more, from the war ending

しばらく この 音が つかわれて いましたが、for a while this sound was being used but

空しゅうけいほうを 思いだすと いわれ、for the reason of remembering the air raid siren

ひょうばんが よく ありませんでした。it wasn’t very popular

*空しゅうけいほう……てきが 空から せめてくる おそれが ある とき、人びとに けいかいを うながす 知らせ。

Air raid siren - at the time that there was fear of enemies coming to attack from the air, it notified people to be vigilant.

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Huh. Never would have ocurred to me that they stopped using school bells because they sounded like air raid sirens. We still use bells over here.

In any case, here’s a video of the actual bells. The melody they play is called “Westminster Quarters”, though it doesn’t seem like the book is going to mention that. Big bell in the middle is Big Ben.

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Page 92

Thank you for your amazing break-down of that last sentence @Micki! I couldn’t have understood it without your help!

I do have a questions about one part though, if anyone can help…

Can someone help me with the も here? Micki has translated it as “even more” which makes sense, and I guess you could also just say “even” (“even after the war ended”), but I’ve never seen も used like that before. Can I just check… is this use of も definition number three on Jisho?

Thank you!

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Yes, I think you’ve got the translation correct. からadded onto て-verb would mean “after” or “since”. And with も added onto that would give you “even after the war ended”.

Here’s an example sentence from here using ~てからも meaning “even after…”.

「結婚してからも 私働いて構わないわよ」と彼女は言った。 "I don’t mind if I keep working even after we’re married ," she said.

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Yes, number three, for emphasis

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Thank you both, trout and emucat! Much appreciated!

Thanks all. Even after sounds like a good translation to me. Thanks for the example sentence with てからも @trout.

I’ve found も scattered regularly through this book and not always obvious how it translates! But a bit like with こと I feel like we’re starting to just get a feel of what it means, and just see it as も, rather than thinking of it as a word with lots of English translations.

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Just to mention, as it took me five minutes to work out, if you want to type メローディー on an English alphabet keyboard you have to type “de” and then “xi” to get the ディ part.

Unless there’s a simpler way I’m missing!

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