I know Magamo did. I have already made sure to mention the points that were brought up then. I am leaning to more in Japanese sources on the matter. I am just wondering what things could be elaborated more and how.

Last edited by imabi (2012 March 31, 2:47 pm)

syntoad wrote:

The best way to teach wa vs ga is to remember that there is no such thing as wa vs ga.

Wa stands alone as its own grammar point. Wa gives a topic to the sentence like saying "oh hey, about xxx, ....)
Ga contends with other particles like o and ni. Ga, ni and o, all link with the verb, ga is the thind performing an action, ni is the goal/target, and o is the object. Wa on the other hand does not have anything specific to do with the verb, rather it gives context to the entire sentence.

There are occasions where wa and ga are interchangable and the only real difference is that ga brings more focus to the thing it is attached.

Example.
Tanaka wa keeki o tabemashita. (Hey about tanaka... he ate the cake)
Tanaka ga keeki o tabemashita. (Tanaka (specifically) ate the cake)
Tanaka wa keeki (no tame) ni tabemashita. (Tanaka ate for the cake)
Tanaka wa keeki ga tabemashita. (Hey, about tanaka... the cake ate him. Oh no!)

At least this is my understanding of it. People always seem to be hung up on when to use wa and ga because they are taught as being so similar, when really they have completely different functions in my mind.

Due to the fact that you stated where wa and ga are interchangeable which makes a subtle difference in meaning, it is often the case where a learner sees wa where ga was expected, or vice versa, causing confusion and many overly large explanations of the matter.

彼の背は低い
彼は背は低い
彼は背が低い

As far as I know, the above phrases are gramatically correct and frequently used according to google. In the end, they pretty much mean the same thing. Because of this, its difficult to nail down particles because it seems at times that their usage is arbitrary. I wont even mention particle omission, which makes learning Japanese all the more absurd.

I was under the impression, and I learned this from a native Japanese speaker in Japan, that in the cases where wa and ga are interchangable, you use wa to put more emphasis on the topic. Direct translations are difficult at the best of times and it`s best to try not think of either wa or ga producing a certain meaning.

That`s just what I`ve been told and have noticed through living in Tokyo anyway.

nadiatims wrote:

That explanation is nonsense of course..

Err, no.  It's a simplification, like all explanations of complex concepts, but it's a very useful simplification. 

(Jay Rubin and Eleanor Harz Jorden both seem to find it to be a useful enough explanation to mention it)

chamcham wrote:

I have a japanese friend that wrote his master's thesis on "Wa vs. Ga".
So, even for native speakers, it is not an easy question to answer.

The best explanation of "Wa vs. Ga" that i've ever seen is in "Making Sense of Japanese" by Jay Rubin. It is 20 pages and really eye-opening.

Thanks for mentioning that book. It`s just jumped to the top of my must-have list. Cheers!

I believe I have decided on what and what not to address and how. Thank you all for trying to add in more advice. I have tried to make sure I have not missed anything.