1st person pronoun with low register (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

In just a few cases (such as Goliath and the criminals on the cross next to Jesus referring to themselves), the rude pronoun ore (おれ) instead of the commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is used. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also second person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (1Sam 14:9)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding Jonathan and his armor-bearer. The Adamawa Fulfulde translation also uses the inclusive pronoun, including everyone.

complete verse (1 Samuel 14:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 14:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “If they tell us to wait until they come to where we are, we shall wait.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If it happens that they say, ‘Stay right where you are until we come,’ we would stay right there in that place, [we] would not go to their place.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If they say that they will-come-down to us (incl.) in-order to-fight, we (incl.) will- no-longer -go-up but-rather we (incl.) will-wait-for them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “If they then say to us, ‘You two stay there until we come down to you,’ we will stay there and not go up to them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

2nd person pronoun with low register (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 14:9

For what the Philistines may say, Revised Standard Version preserves the embedded direct quotation form of the Hebrew, while Good News Translation changes this into an indirect quotation to avoid a quotation within the words of Jonathan in verses 8-10. Some languages may have their own style for expressing something that is hypothetical. It is never reported in the text as actually having been spoken by the Philistines.

The verb translated go up in this verse and Come up in verse 10 show that the Philistines were camped on top of a hill, probably in order to see any approaching enemy forces. This setting may need to be made clear from the outset, as Contemporary English Version has done by saying “If they agree to come down the hill….”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .