CHAPTER IV.
The Pronoun.
PERSONAL PRONOUNS.
IF 65. The Japanese words corresponding to the personal pronouns of European languages are simply nouns whose original significations are quite clear, and which are in- deed still often used with those significations. Except for the sake of convenience to foreign students, it would not be necessary to discuss them apart from nouns in general. They belong to the category of such descriptive expressions as " your humble servant," "your ladyship," " His Majesty." Self-depreciatory terms are naturally used in speaking of oneself (ist. person), and compliment- ary terms in speaking to or of other people (2nd. and 3rd. persons).
11 66. The most usual equivalent for " I " is watakAshi, lit. "selfishness." The vulgar often contract it to wataslii and washi. Other nouns now current in the same sense are bokn, "servant" (much affected by young men in speaking to each other) ; sessha, " the awkward person ; " sJiosei, "junior." Ore is a very vulgar corruption of ware, which is the commonest word for "I" in the written lan- guage. Ora, which may often be heard from the mouths of coolies, is for ore it' a.
- 67. The following equivalents for "you " are all in com-
mon use : Anata, a contraction of ano kata, "that side," " beyond " (which meaning is still retained in poetry, as
