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Recently, a fellow Japanese major here at UW visited my web site and pointed out to me that the emphatic usage of yo is a little more common than I make it out to be. After listening to a few of his examples, I had to concede that yes, it is used fairly frequently. But only in very specific situations. I'm going to tell you what those situations are right here. First, let me reiterate: I still believe that the "new information" use of yo is the main use. When yo comes at the end of sentences that are not commands or "heated" questions, it is definitely the "new information" yo. Well, then, in what type of circumstances can yo be emphatic?
CommandsWhen yo comes after any command, it's emphatic. Even if the verb is not in the actual command form, but only in the softer -te-form, it's emphatic. Let's look at a few examples of this:
Te o fureruna yo! Don't touch! This is really straightforward. The yo serves to strengthen the commands or requests being made. Now for the other emphatic use.
"Heated" questionsHeated questions are the kind you use when you're ticked off. As far as I can imagine, they are always addressed directly to the person with whom the speaker is upset. This is true even if the person is not present to hear the question. This form doesn't work with a third person. What this means is that I can't use this form, referring to some other driver, to ask a passenger in my car, "What does this jerk think he's doing?" This form always demands a good explanation from the addressee. It works by creating a question that includes an interrogative word and adding yo to the end, almost always after n da for guys or just no for women. The no is not necessary if the interrogative word is ending the sentence. You should get the feel from the following examples:
Doko e itte ru n da yo! [...itte ru no yo, female] Where do you think you're going!? Also, questions that do not have interrogative words can use yo after ka. Note that all of this is low-level Japanese.
Honto ka yo. Are you serious? So that's what heated questions are all about. I really hope that none of you are having these conversations often, but when you do, you'll know what going on.
As a final note, yo is very infrequently used in an invocative sense. That is, it is similar to the English "O," used in addressing people. For example:
Ou-sama yo, anata no shimobe de gozaimasu. O king, I am your humble servant. This usage is not used very often in modern Japanese. You'll see it infrequently in modern literature which tries to sound archaic. I don't think I've ever heard it in ordinary conversation. So, to review, the only real times you'll see yo being used emphatically are after commands and after heated questions. Any other time you see yo, chances are it's the good ol' "new information" tag, helping people see something new. |