CHAPTER IX

THE EPISTOLARY STYLE

226. The epistolary style, as its name indicates, is that employed in letters and dispatches. Its use is not, however, limited to these. It is frequently met with in notices and advertisements, and occasionally in books and newspapers. In the latter it appears chiefly as a conventional substitute for the colloquial, that is to say, that it is used when it is desired to reproduce, as exactly as may be, the actual words spoken by some person quoted. To give these words in the colloquial would be considered an infringement of the dignity of written speech.

While this subject is handled here in a few pages, the art of actually reading letters written in the handwriting of the Japanese is a difficult study requiring years in which to become efficient.

227. The peculiarities distinguishing the epistolary style from the ordinary written style, treated of in the preceding pages, are very marked. These peculiarities are shown in their conjugation and phraseology.

A PECULIAR CONJUGATION OF VERBS AND ADJECTIVES

228. Almost every verb is turned into a compound by means of the irregular verb sōrō, which is suffixed to the indefinite form. Originally sōrō was an independent verb, samurau, signifying "to be in attendance on" (cf. samurai, "an attendant on a feudal lord"). When used alone it signifies nothing more than "to be." When added to other verbs and adjectives it is a meaningless suffix, generally corresponding to the masu of the colloquial. Goza sōrō is more honorific than sōrō alone. Zonji sōrō is the same as omou, “to think." The conjugation of sōrō is irregular

and defective, the following being the only tenses in ordinary

229. Sōrō having no indefinite form, the indefinite form of the plain verb is used instead to mark the end of a subordinate clause. The gerund or the indefinite form of the plain verb is also generally preferred to the gerund sōrōte. The future sōrawan is rare, being almost always replaced by the (properly potential) termination beku sōrō. The conditional sōraeba is not infrequently used for the hypothetical sōrawaba. In the negative voice sōrō is suffixed to the gerund of the plain verb. In adjectives it is suffixed to the indefinite form.

230. The ordinary conjugation of a verb in the epistolary style is therefore as follows:

Hypothetical Concessive...itasazu sōrōte mo...........even if I do not do

231. Of the conjugation of adjectives, the following examples may suffice:

Present: yoroshiku sōrō, "(it) is good"

Concessive: yoroshiku sõraedomo, “though (it) is good"

232. Sōrō is often dropped after adjectives, especially after taku and beku. Thus: Shōsei shuttatsu mae baikyaku itashitaku (sōrō) ni tsuki, “as I am desirous of selling it before my departure." Comprehension of such constructions, which are common in the epistolary style, will be facilitated by noting that, in the case of an honorific verb with the desiderative termination taku, the verb itself always refers to the honored person and the termination to the writer. Thus: On ide kudasare-takusōrō means lit., “(I) am wishing (you will) condescend august coming," i.e., “I hope you will come."

233. The Chinese nouns, which are verbalized by means of suru in the ordinary style of books and newspapers, are in the epistolary style mostly verbalized by means of itashi-sōrō, or of the more polite tsukamatsuri-sōrō for the first person, and kudasare-sōrō or nasare-sōrō for the second. Thus: Tōchaku itashi-sōrō, or tōchaku tsukamatsuri-sōrō, "I (or some other humble person) have arrived"; Go tōchaku asobasare sōrō, “You (or some other honorable person) have arrived.”

234. Sometimes sōrō is suffixed directly to nouns, without the intervention of itasu or suru, as Kikan haidoku (itashi or tsukamatsuri) sōrō, “I have had the honor to peruse your letter."

A PECULIAR PHRASEOLOGY

235. Besides its actual conjugational forms, sōrō combines with a number of nouns to form peculiar idioms. Politeness also requires the constant repetition of honorifics and of ornamental verbs.

Sōrō aida, "because I do" or "I do . . . . and so"

Sōrō dan or sōrō jō, “inasmuch as," "and therefore," "and" Sōrō ni tsuki, "owing to"

Koko ni makari ari sōrō tokoro, "while (I) was here"

236. Letters always open with some such polite phrase as haikei, “I beg to state"; or, in replies, On tegami rakushu tsukamatsuri-sōrō, "Your honorable letter is to hand"; kikan haiken (tsukamatsuri-sōrō), “I have seen your flowery epistle"; etc. Then (at least in private letters) comes a sentence in which the correspondent is congratulated on the good health which he enjoys notwithstanding the adverse state of the weather-this, despite the fact that the writer probably has no information on the subject. Thus: Reiki ai-tsunori-sōrō tokoro, masu-masu go seifuku keiga tatematsuri sōrō, "I beg to congratulate you on the perfect way in which you keep your health, notwithstanding the increasing coldness of the season." The real subject of the letter is then introduced by the words nobureba or shikareba. Sometimes, especially in postcards, the introductory compliments are superseded by some such apologetic phrase as Zenryaku; go kaiyō kudasaru-beku sōrō, “I omit compliments; pray excuse me for so doing." Letters are closed by some such phrase as Kono dan kii e-taku, or Migi mōshi-age-taku, kaku no gotoku ni goza-sōrō nari, "I beg to bring the foregoing to your favorable notice"; On kotae katagata kii e-sōrō, "I take the occasion of this reply to bring the foregoing to your favorable notice." To these some such expression as tonshu, "I bow my head," sō-sō, "hastily written," fugu, "insufficient," Keigu, 'respectfully," is usually added.

237. In official dispatches, the introductory phrases, down to shikareba or nobureba inclusive, may be freely rendered by "I have the honor to inform you that or, in the case of answers, by "I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the instant, and to state in reply that. . . . ." Such English paraphrases of the opening words may also be held to include the resumptive final phrase Kono dan kii e-taku, while tonshu, etc., may be paraphrased by "I have the honor to be, etc." With obvious slight changes, the same remarks apply to the translation of private letters.

238. Some of the difficulties of parsing, which are specially prominent in the epistolary style, will be found discussed in § 244.

239. The epistolary style has here been discussed very briefly. A separate textbook could well be written on this subject alone.