先ほどまでとは打って変わって礼儀正しくなったオオカミに戸惑いつつも、返す。するとオオカミは、ドン、と胸を叩くようにして続けてきた。
『ならば、僕の鼻が役に立つかもしれません。この世界においてあなた方はいわば異物、特徴的なにおいをしてらっしゃいます。似たようなにおいを辿っていけば、あるいは』
Source: Date A Live, novel
Why is においをして used instead of においがして? I’ve seen the latter 匂いがする more often.
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1Very related: japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/69611/…– Darius JahandarieFeb 28, 2021 at 7:44
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1Especially: japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/69611/… I never thought there was an actual situation my example would be applicable...– broccoli forestMar 1, 2021 at 19:21
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@brokenlaptop Thank you both. So を is used in my example because the speaker is a wolf who considers odor as a kind of “identifying property” while が doesn’t have this implication but just means the odor strikes your sensation. Right? So が doesn’t work in my example. Right?– chino alphaMar 2, 2021 at 12:50
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1@chinoalpha Exactly. But what makes が fatally wrong in that sentence is the keigo ～（い）らっしゃる. With を, the subject is あなた方 that can become the target of respect (you wear (する) an odor). If you used が, the subject would be におい and you'd respect it, which makes no sense. Were it not for it, you'd be able to switch to が and it'd mean what you said.– broccoli forestMar 2, 2021 at 14:19
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2 Answers
That is the difference between the transitive and the intransitive.
Let's make it simple.
- あなた方は特徴的なにおいをしている
- あなた方から特徴的なにおいがしている
The English equivalent of them are (kind of):
- You have a unique smell
- You smell uniquely
See it? においを is the objective and においが is the subjective. So, using を here is natural because it can be used to form objectives.
〜をしている seems to be used under situations where characteristics of something is being referred. (e.g. あの女の子は青い目をしている)
Refs:
14.（修飾語 + 体の一部 + をする）その人の特徴として、そのようなものを持つ。
Because the subject is あなた方 and it's active voice. If it were passive voice, it would be が. Ex) この部屋には変なにおいがする This room smells wierd.
