Rayath Wrote:I think that です is the most polite, である/であり is formal and literary.
です is 丁寧語 (polite language, like using the ます form for other verbs). である shares the same level of politeness but as you said, it is literary. In addition, when connecting two sentences, the usual way is the て form. The sentences may have or not the same subject:
大きな事故が発生して、多数の人は死んでしまいました。 (There was a huge accident and a lot of people died).
彼は着替えて、すぐ家を出た。 (He changed his clothes and quickly left).
However, in addition to the てform, it is possible to link sentences with the ます root of the verb. The grammatical function is exactly like the てform but it sound a bit more formal.
大きな事故が発生し、多数の人は死んでしまいました。 (the ます root of する is し: し-ます)
彼は着替え、すぐ家を出た (the ます root of 着替える is 着替え: 着替え-ます)
There are two special cases.
1) Compound verbs bearing the auxiliary ~いる, where the ます root is, theorically ~い, but instead of this, ~おりis used:
妹は東京に住んでおり、一年に2回ぐらい帰ります。 (My sister lives in Tokyo and comes to visit us about 2 times a year)
2) The verb である, with is used like であり but considering that であります is not used in modern Japanese (I have seen it used for fun in the anime ケロロ軍曹)
When writing and in formal speech, it is common to alternate the use of てform and ます roots for stylistic purposes. The same way, there are also negative forms that can be alternated with the ~なくて form, like ~ず
何も食べなくて、ずっと一日を過ごすのは体に悪いものですよ。
何も食べずに、ずっと一日を過ごすのは体に悪いものですよ
(Passing the whole day without eating anything is bad for your body)
To end this explanation and coming back to the です/である issue, note that none of them are 敬語. The honorific of です is でございます
これはお野菜とお魚でございます。どうぞ、お召し上がり下さい。 (This are vegetables and fish, please enjoy them).
Edited: 2011-06-17, 6:52 pm
