The Hidden Copula: What のbody tells you

This post draws heavily on research by Yu Fei (于 飛), a postdoctoral researcher at Beijing Normal University’s Faculty of Literature, whose work on Japanese particles provides valuable insights into the relationship between の and だ. The research appears in “言語と文化論集” (Language and Culture Collection) No. 20.

Special acknowledgment goes to Okutsu Keiichiro (奥津敬一郎), whose analysis of の as the attributive form of だ, as cited in Yu’s research, forms the theoretical backbone of this explanation.

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の as the Adnominal Form of だ

One of the most significant findings from Okutsu Keiichiro’s research is the systematic relationship between の and the copula だ. This relationship manifests in several ways:

Modification Patterns

When a だ sentence modifies a following noun, だ systematically changes to の:

Adverbial Modification

Just like だ, の can take adverbial modifiers, showing parallel behavior:

Temporal Reference

The interchangeability with だった demonstrates の’s role in temporal reference:

Structural Patterns (内間直仁’s Analysis)

Basic Nominal Connections

The simplest pattern (A体言＋の＋B体言) shows direct nominal relationships:

Complex Structural Patterns

More complex patterns emerge with verbal elements:

With Conjunctive Form (連用形)

With Attributive Form (連体形)

Particle Interaction Patterns

Mandatory Particle Elimination

Some particles must be eliminated when の is used. As the research states: “If Y starts with NP and C is が, を or に: transformation is mandatory”¹

Optional Particle Retention

Other particles can coexist with の. The research notes: “If Y starts with NP and C is と, まで or から: transformation must not be applied”

Functional Categories

Possessive/Associative Function

Nominalizing Function

The research distinguishes between adnominal and nominalizing uses:

1. ↩︎

Understanding the Transformation Rule

The research formalizes particle interaction patterns with the following rule:

X C d Tense Y → X d Tense Y

Where:

• X = The noun or noun phrase being modified
• C = The case particle (が, を, に, と, etc.)
• d = The copula だ
• Tense = Tense marker (present/past)
• Y = The modifying phrase or clause

This can be applied in three ways:

1. Mandatory Elimination: If Y starts with a noun phrase (NP) and C is が, を or に, the transformation must occur
2. Must be Retained: If Y starts with NP and C is と, まで or から, the transformation cannot occur
3. Optional: All other cases allow for either pattern

が Omission Patterns (Yu Fei’s Analysis)

The transformation from が + verb to の is one of the most common simplification patterns in Japanese. Here are the key patterns identified in Yu Fei’s research:

Basic Action/State Relationships

Emotional/Personal Attributes (See also: Possessive が)

Natural Phenomena (See also: Possessive が)

Possession/Ownership (See also: Possessive が)

Complex Relationships

The research shows that these transformations can occur in more complex constructions as well:

Yu Fei notes that this simplification process is particularly common when:

1. The relationship between the nouns is clear from context
2. The action or state is naturally associated with the first noun
3. The relationship is frequently expressed in Japanese

This systematic analysis shows that の is not just a simple possessive marker but a complex grammatical element that interacts with various aspects of Japanese grammar, from nominal modification to particle interactions.

Source

https://kanagawa-u.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2592/files/vol20_05.pdf