Translation request thread (part 2) (639)

331 名前: 名無しさん@日本語勉強中 : 2008-10-17 23:15 ID:Heaven

There is a grey area in the sense that, as I said, one could say it no longer really means either, as both are possible (e.g. the comparatively common 言わんばかり comes from 言わぬばかり) and people started mixing them, and now んばかり means little more than the fixed expression んばかり, あらん限り means little more than the expression あらん限り, etc. Most people don't give a damn, they just see the expression as a unit - although I should point out that correct or not most seem to think it comes from ぬ.

Trying to deny that ぬ is involved in it in any way is as ignorant as you're claiming everybody else is. This is even listed in the dictionary you so love to quote from:

>〔打ち消しの助動詞「ぬ」の撥音便「ん」に副助詞「ばかり」の付いたもの〕かろうじてそうなっていないさまを表す。

Just because the と is there doesn't necessarily mean that it comes from むと, as と is perfectly acceptable as an intensifier before ばかり. I don't want to make an absolute statement on the particular example that started this as I don't think I'm familiar enough with the nuances that may differentiate the two, but I will say it feels more like ぬ to me.

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