Dickensian Japanese - Stave 2 - Part 1 - Charity Workers

Continuing where we left off,we will be dealing with the verbs - and having in another article described the fundamentals of keigo, in terms of the three categories and the concepts of in- and out-groups, there ought to be little in the way of explaining the intricacies of this.

A quick note is in order, teineigo forms, i.e. -masu, -desu as well as pronouns such as anata and watashi are a given, and have also been covered in the first part of this series of analyses. Additionally in all translations is the honorific form of aru (to be), i.e. gozaimasu used in various older forms, i.e. gozarimasu, gozarimasuru etc. Furthermore, they also vary also in spelling, in particular Beni Bara uses 厶います, whereun gozaru (厶る, the kanji originally meaning "I/me/oneself") uses an uncommon kanji to write the otherwise compound verb 御座る (gozaru), lit. "honourable + to sit."

The Kenjougo (Humble) Verbs:

Kusano Shibaji:
To say: mousu (申す), moushiageru (申し上げる)
To be: oru (おる)
To do: itasu (致す)
To know: zonjiru (存じる)
To go: mairu (參る)
To receive: none
To ask: none.

Beni Bara:
To say: mousu (申す)
To be: oru (おる), iru (ゐる)
To do: itasu (致す)
To know: zonjiru (存じる)
To go: mairu (參る)
To receive: none
To ask: none.

Yaguchi Tatsu:
To say: mousu (申す), moushiageru (申し上げる)
To be: oru (居る)
To die: none.
To do: itasu (いたす)
To know: none.
To go: mairu (參る)
To receive: none
To ask: none.

Nakajima Kotou:
To say: mousu (申す), moushiageru (申し上げる)
To be: oru (居る)
To do: itasu (致す)
To know: zonjiru (存じる)
To go: mairu (參る)
To receive: none
To ask: ukagau (伺う)

Hataya Masao:
To say: moushiageru (申しあげる)
To be: oru/iru (居る)
To do: itasu (致す)
To know: zonjiru (存じる)
To go: mairu (參る)
To receive: none
To ask: none

Morita Souhei:
To say: moushiageru (申上げる)
To be: oru (居る)
To do: itasu (いたす)
To know: zonjiru (存じる)
To go: none
To receive: none
To ask: ukagau (伺う)

Yamanaka Mitsuo:
To say: moushiageru (申上げる)
To be: oru (おる)
To do: itasu (いたす), o~itasu (お～いたす)(1)
To know: zonjiru (存じる)
To go: none
To receive: itadaku (いただく)
To ask: ukagau (伺う)

Yamamoto Masaki:
To say: moushiageru (申上げる)
To be: iru (いる)
To do: none
To know: none
To go: mairu (まいる)
To receive: itadaku
To ask: none.

(1) Essentially just taking the masu-stem (-i) and adding the honorific o-/go- to this stem and then following it either with suru or the humble verb itasu (いたす, "to do").

Almost all with exception of Yamamoto, who uses iru, the informal or neutral form, use oru or orimasu as the humble "to be."

The Sonkeigo (Reverential) Verbs:

Kusano Shibaji:
To say: ossharu (仰っしゃる)
To be: irassharu (いらっしゃる)
To die: none.
To do: nasaru (なさる)
To know: none
To grant: none
To wish: onozomi (お望み)(1)

Beni Bara:
To say: iwareru (言はれる)(1), ossharu (仰しゃる)
To be: none
To die: none
To do: none
To know: gozonji (御存知)
To grant: kudasaru (下さる)
To wish: ohoshimeshi (思召)

Yaguchi Tatsu:
To say: ossharu (おっしゃる)
To be: irassharu (いらっしゃる)
To die: none
To do: nasaru (なさる), sareru (される)(2), o~ninaru (お~になる)
To know: gozonji (御存知)
To grant: kudasaru (下さる)
To wish: negawareru (願はれる)

Nakajima Kotou:
To say: ossharu (仰有る)
To be: irassharu (ゐらっしゃる)
To die: onakunarininaru (お亡くなりになる)
To do: nasaru (される), o~ninaru (お~になる)
To know: none
To grant: kudasaru (下さる)
To wish: negawareru (願はれる)

Hataya Masao:
To say: ossharu (仰有る/仰しゃる)
To be: none
To die: onakunarininaru (お亡くなりになる)
To do: nasaru (される), ~rareru (～られる)(2)
To know: gozonji (御存知)
To grant: kudasaru (下さる)
To wish: negawareru (願はれる)

Morita Souhei:
To say: moushiagerareru (申上げられる)(2)
To be: irassharu (いらっしゃる), oide (おいで)(1)
To die: none
To do: sareru (される)(2)
To know: gozonji (御存知)
To grant: kudasaru (下さる)
To wish: onozomi (お望み)(1)

Yamanaka Mitsuo:
To say: iwareru (いはれる)(2), ossharu (おっしゃる)
To be: irassharu (いらっしゃる)
To die: none
To do: o~ninaru (お~になる)
To know: owakarininaru (おわかりになる)
To grant: kudasaru (下さる)
To wish: none

Yamamoto Masaki:
To say: moushiagerareru (申しあげられる)(2)
To be: irareru (いられる)(2)
To die: none
To do: sareru (される)(2), o~ninaru (お~になる)
To know: owakarininaru (おわかりになる)
To grant: kudasaru (下さる)
To wish: onozomi (おのぞみ)(1)

1) Technically it is an honorific noun, but at the same time it acts like a clipped version of a sonkeigo o~ninaru (the sir/madam does ~) verb.
2) Rendering a verb into a passive form (i.e. -rareru) is another mode of creating a sonkeigo verb, such as turning ikinokoru (生き残る, "to survive") into ikinokorareru (生き残られる, the sir/madam survives). Likewise one can turn a humble (kenjougo) verb into a sonkeigo verb by making it a passive, such as moushiageru (申上げる, to humbly say) into moushiagerareru (申上げられる, the sir/madam says); this is however old-fashioned.

Beautified words:

Kusano Shibaji:
御氣質 (okishitsu) (noun) - Honourable deposition.
お慈悲深い (ojihibukai) (adjective) - Honourably charitable.
御恵與 (okeiyo) (noun) - Honourable bestowal.

Beni Bara:
御同様 (godouyou) (noun) - Honourably identical.
御厚○ (御厚情) (gokoujou) (noun) - Honourable favour.(1)

Yaguchi Tatsu:
御精神 (goseishin) (noun) - Honourable spirit/mind.
お禮 (orei) (noun) - Honourable thanks. A common word.

Hataya Masao:
御賛成 (gosensei) (noun) - Honourable favour/support.
お志 (okokorozashi) (noun) - Honourable kindness/courtesy.
お蔭様 (okagesama) (noun) - Assitance, thanks for one's helping another out. Technically a common word.

Morita Souhei:
お仲間 (onakama) (noun) - Honourable associate.
お祝い (oiwai) - Congratulations, gift. A common word.
御寛厚 (gokankou) - Honourable largeheartedness.
お志 (okokorozashi) (noun) - Honourable kindness/courtesy.

Yamanaka Mitsuo:
御賛成 (gosensei) (noun) - Honourable favour/support.
お名前 (onamae) (noun) - Honourable name. A polite word used for another person's name.
お心 (okokoro) (noun) - Honourable heart/mind.
御禮 (orei) (noun) - Honourable thanks. A common word.
御言葉 (okotoba) - Honourable words. Usually words or an expression of kindness or largess that follow a gift or favour to another person.

Yamamoto Masaki:
お祝い (oiwai) - Congratulations, gift. A common word.

(1)Scrooge interrupts the Charity Worker before he can finish his sentence, but from the context it is clear that this word was intended.

This concludes the section about the Charity Workers. Moving onwards we will be taking care of Scrooge, his nephew and the ghosts (Marley and the Christmas Ghosts), though not in that particular order.