What does this もまた mean?

Question

What is the difference between も and また?

Context: 山田もまたパーティーに 来ます。

So, も means "too" and the one meaning of また is also "too". What's the difference between these two words and why they were used together in that sentence?

Answer 1

This sentence is technically ambiguous; また can mean either "also" or "again" here. Assuming the meaning of "again" is not intended, もまた is a literary, emphatic and/or dramatic way of saying "also".

For example, one can say:

• 彼もまた人間なのです。
  He too is a human being.
• それもまた人生だ。
  That's also (a form of) life.
  _{(i.e., People's lives are varied.)}

もまた is not redundant at all if used this way.

However, I can feel nothing dramatic or didactic in 山田もまたパーティーに来ます, so this もまた looks a little awkward to me. Maybe the speaker had a good reason to emphasize the "(not only someone but) also" part, or maybe this また just means "again".

Answer 2

In this context も means "as well", it's an addition to a list.

On this other hand, また means "again", it indicates a repetition.