Comparing sources in Japanese: 二つの記事では…

Level B2

Comparing sources in Japanese: 二つの記事では…

By the end of this lesson, you can say where two or three sources agree, where they differ and which one each piece of information comes from. The central idea is this: a synthesis separates what the sources show (データ, dēta, the data), what each one concludes (解釈, kaishaku, the interpretation) and what none of them says, and it names the source of every claim. The lesson stays on one topic, the people who use a library, until the final practice moves to a café.

Warm-up: counting, reporting, trends and what a writer says

These pieces come back in this lesson, even if this is your first time seeing them. 本が三冊あります (hon ga sansatsu arimasu), “there are three books”, and 友達が三人います (tomodachi ga sannin imasu), “three friends are here”, show two counters: 冊 (satsu) for books and 人 (nin) for people. テストは月曜日だそうです (tesuto wa getsuyōbi da sō desu), “I hear the test is on Monday”, uses そうです (sō desu) to pass on something you heard or read.

自転車で通勤する人が増えてきました (jitensha de tsūkin suru hito ga fuete kimashita), “more and more people have been cycling to work”, and 通勤が変わりつつあります (tsūkin ga kawaritsutsu arimasu), “commuting is changing”, describe a trend; つつあります (tsutsu arimasu) belongs mostly to writing. 筆者は、会議は短いほうがいいと述べています (hissha wa, kaigi wa mijikai hō ga ii to nobete imasu), “the writer states that meetings should be short”, reports what a text claims: と (to) closes the content and 述べています (nobete imasu) means “states”.

Words for talking about sources

記事 (kiji) is an article, and 筆者 (hissha) is the writer of the text under discussion. 情報源 (jōhōgen) is the source of a piece of information. データ (dēta) is data; 解釈 (kaishaku) is interpretation. 同じ (onaji) means “the same”, and 違う (chigau) means “to be different”. It’s a verb in Japanese, where English uses an adjective. 増える (fueru) means “to increase”, in the sense that a number goes up by itself. 述べる (noberu) means “to state”. For this lesson’s topic, 利用者 (riyōsha) is someone who uses the library, and 貸し出し (kashidashi) is lending books.

Two written sources: the newspaper and the magazine

The first three lines come from a newspaper article, 新聞の記事 (shinbun no kiji). The other three come from a magazine article, 雑誌の記事 (zasshi no kiji). Listen for what repeats: the same data appears in different words, …になりました (ni narimashita, went to) in one and …に増えました (ni fuemashita, rose to) in the other.

The numbers: 三百人 (sanbyakunin) is 300 people, 五百人 (gohyakunin) is 500, and 千冊 (sensatsu) is 1,000 books. この五年で (kono gonen de) is “in these five years”, and 一日 (ichinichi) here means “a day”. 前より (mae yori) means “more than before”. 一方で (ippō de) opens another side of what was said, and 変わっていません (kawatte imasen) means “hasn’t changed”. 場所 (basho) is “place”. A verb describes a noun by coming before it: 本を読む人 (hon o yomu hito) is people who read books, and 本を借りる場所 (hon o kariru basho) is a place to borrow books.

An audio source: the librarian on the radio

Listen once without reading. A hosts the programme, and B is the librarian, 司書 (shisho). 図書館に来る人 (toshokan ni kuru hito) is people who come to the library. 夜八時まで (yoru hachiji made) is “until eight at night”, and 使えるようになって (tsukaeru yō ni natte) is “since it became possible to use it”. At the end of 借りる人もいますが (kariru hito mo imasu ga), が (ga) means “but”. 勉強だけする人 (benkyō dake suru hito) is people who only study, and 多い (ōi) means “many”. 何人 (nannin) is “how many people”, and 数える (kazoeru) is “to count”. Notice what B doesn’t give: any number of students.

Data or interpretation?

Before you compare, separate. In this lesson, データ is what the source counted or recorded: 500 users a day, 1,000 books a day. 解釈 is what someone concludes from it: that more people read, that the library is becoming a place to study. The two articles have the same figure and reach different conclusions, so a figure alone doesn’t settle which conclusion is right.

…というのは (to iu no wa) takes a statement and makes it the topic, like “the idea that…”. After it comes データです or 解釈です. In these two articles, each interpretation ends in と思います (to omoimasu), “I think”, but that clue doesn’t hold for every text. The safe question is: did the source count or record this, or conclude it from a figure?

Agreeing and differing: 二つの記事では…

二つの記事では (futatsu no kiji de wa) means “in the two articles”. 二つ (futatsu) counts things in general, で (de) says where, and は (wa) makes that the topic. This opening frames the comparison; the result comes after it: 同じです (onaji desu), “is the same”, or 違います (chigaimasu), “is different”. In the full sentence, …ですが (desu ga) joins the two halves like “but”. 数 (kazu) means “number”, and 利用者の数 (riyōsha no kazu) is “the number of users”; in 数える the same kanji reads kazo. In the examples, the articles agree on the number of users and differ on what they conclude from it. The number of loans doesn’t count here: only one of the articles gives it.

二つの記事では、データ／利用者の数は同じですが、解釈／筆者の解釈が違います

Who concludes what: …の筆者は…と述べています

Every interpretation belongs to someone, so say whose it is. 新聞の記事の筆者は (shinbun no kiji no hissha wa) is “the writer of the newspaper article”; then come the content, と (to) and 述べています (nobete imasu), “states”. The article said 思います, “I think”, because the writer was speaking. When you report it, you switch to 筆者は…と述べています, because that “I think” isn’t yours. それに対して (sore ni taishite) opens the second side and sets the two conclusions against each other on one point. You can report both without choosing either.

新聞／雑誌の記事の筆者は、前より本を読む人が増えた／図書館が勉強する場所に変わりつつあると述べています

Saying where each thing comes from

…によると (ni yoru to), “according to…”, names the source, and そうです closes the sentence as information you received. After a noun you need だそうです (da sō desu), as in 千冊だそうです. For the radio, say who spoke: ラジオで司書は…と話していました (hanashite imashita), “on the radio, the librarian said that…”.

If both articles carry the same information, say どちらの記事にも (dochira no kiji ni mo), “in both articles”; どちら (dochira) means “which of the two”, and with も (mo) it becomes “both”. Unlike 二つの記事では, which opens a comparison, it says the same thing is in each one. 書いてあります (kaite arimasu) means “it says”, literally “it is written”. If only one carries it, say 雑誌の記事だけに (zasshi no kiji dake ni), “only in the magazine article”. Your own position comes separately, with 私は… (watashi wa): …に賛成です (ni sansei desu) means “I agree with…”. That way your listener knows what comes from the source and what comes from you.

What no source says

The radio says more students have been coming, and the articles say users went from 300 to 500, so 200 more. It’s tempting to join the two, as in the first line: 増えた二百人は学生です (fueta nihyakunin wa gakusei desu), “the extra 200 are students”. The sentence is well formed, but none of the three sources says it; it’s here only so you can recognize the mistake.

Instead of filling the gap, show it. …かどうかは分かりません (ka dō ka wa wakarimasen) means “we can’t tell whether…”. After a noun, かどうか follows directly, with no だ: 学生かどうか (gakusei ka dō ka). With a question word, you use か alone: 何人かは分かりません (nannin ka wa wakarimasen), “we can’t tell how many”. 三つの情報源では (mittsu no jōhōgen de wa) means “from the three sources”. The last line sums up the attitude: if the source doesn’t say it, neither do you.

Your turn and summary

The first four lines are a short synthesis of the library: what’s the same, the two interpretations and the limit. Then come two new articles about a café in front of the station, 駅の前のカフェ (eki no mae no kafe). お客さん (okyakusan) is “customer”, 百人 (hyakunin) is 100 people, 二百人 (nihyakunin) is 200, 安くなった (yasuku natta) means “got cheaper” and 仕事をする場所 (shigoto o suru basho) is “a place to work”. …からだ (kara da) means “it’s because…”.

Cover the last four lines. Say, in this order, what’s the same, what each writer concludes and what can’t be known. Then compare. Don’t add anything the articles don’t say.

In short: 二つの記事では… frames the comparison, …の筆者は…と述べています gives an interpretation its owner, …によると…そうです names the source, and …かどうかは分かりません marks what no source says.

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