1

I've been making my way through the book Elementary Japanese Volume 1 and in the chapter on comparatives it introduced this construction:

AとBとでは、どちらの方がXですか。Between A and B, which one is X-er?
AとBとでは、Aの方がBよりXです。 Between A and B, A is X-er than B.

If I understood it correctly then the particles で and は are acting as they normally would. Meaning the で here is the location marker and marks the range of things we are comparing. And the は particle just marks the whole first part as the topic. However, what I don't understand is the use of the と particle at the end of the list, right after B.
I think I have seen this construct without this と. So what exactly is it's function there?

Improve this question
1

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

It's also the listing-と. Originally, the standard way to say "A and B" was AとBと, using と twice. In modern Japanese, the second と is usually dropped, but it's still sometimes inserted for several reasons:

  • To emphasize a comparison
  • To make a sentence/title sound literary and sonorous (see the first link below for examples)
  • To increase the readability of a complicated long sentence by explicitly marking what are listed (see the last link below)

In your example, the second と is purely optional, and dropping it doesn't change the meaning of the sentence. Still, I feel the second と somehow appears often in a context of choosing one from multiple options.

See also:

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .