普通の文を定義するのはむずかしいはずです。
ですからこのメモではある幼児向け cartoon の台詞を並べて、
その一つの特徴だけをとらえて、英作文ライティング・スピーキングの常識を壊すことにしましょう。
下の表はこの cartoon の主人公二人(同年齢と思われる)の台詞をすべて書き出したものです。
何カ所か聞き取れないところがありました。そこは適当に???でごまかしました。
で、台詞を主人公二人の 一口サイズ(=bitesize) に切り分けて、
1列目に、1 行に bitesize を 1個ずつ並べました。
2列目はそのbitesizeに含まれる語数です。
3列目はそのbitesizeにいわゆる「主語」が含まれているかどうかを、
含まれていれば 1、含まれていなければ 0 を入れてあります。
1列目を見ると、9分11秒の cartoon の中で二人の主人公は127の
bitesize を使って話していることが分かります。
2列目は二人の台詞の bitesize 平均的な長さは 約2.88語であることがわかります。
ktbさんの英文の平均語数は 4.2語だったので、それより短いですね。
(これについてはおもしろい比較をします、近いうちに。)
3列目は主語のないbitesize は 0、 主語のあるbitesize は 1、を入れました。
すると、127の bitesize のうち、主語のあるものは 51 でした。
つまり、こうしたこどもたちの日常会話では、主語のない会話が半分以上あることになります。
道理で短いわけだ!
一方、英作文ライティング・スピーキング の一つの特徴は主語がちゃんとあって、
動詞も、目的語もちゃんとある文ばかりが並びます。当然長くなります。
時にはbitesizeを越えて長くなり、リズムも区切りも不自然になります。
けれども普通の文はそういうものではない、ということを実例でみたつもりなのですが、
疑問や質問はいっぱいあるでしょう。聞かせてください!
| 0 | bitesizeの数 127 | 総語数 366 | 主語あり 51 |
| 1 | I’m XXX Elf. | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | And I’m Princess YYY. | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Come on. | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | Let’s play. | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Are you coming out to plya? | 6 | 1 |
| 7 | Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Come on. | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | Let’s fly. | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | Hey. | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | Wait for us. | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | Come on, Gaston. | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | Giddy up. | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | Giddy up. | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | Gaston, fetch. | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | Gaston loves fetching sticks. | 4 | 1 |
| 17 | Here, Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | ???, Gaston. | 1 | |
| 19 | Well done. | 2 | 0 |
| 20 | Do you want to wiggle your legs? | 7 | 1 |
| 21 | OK. | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | On to your back. | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | Wiggle your legs. | 3 | 0 |
| 24 | Gaston loves rolling on his back. | 6 | 1 |
| 25 | That’s funny. | 2 | 1 |
| 26 | Holly. | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | Bedtime. | 1 | 0 |
| 28 | That’s Nanny Plum. | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | I’ve got to go home now. | 6 | 1 |
| 30 | But we were having such fun. | 6 | 1 |
| 31 | Never mind. | 2 | 0 |
| 32 | We’ll meet up again tomorrow. | 5 | 1 |
| 33 | Yes. | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | Ben. | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Bedtime. | 1 | 0 |
| 36 | Oh, that’s my Mum. | 3 | 1 |
| 37 | Bye, Ben. | 1 | 0 |
| 38 | Bye, Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 39 | Bye, Holly. | 1 | 0 |
| 40 | Bye Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 41 | See you tomorrow. | 4 | 0 |
| 42 | Ben. | 2 | 0 |
| 43 | Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 44 | Holly. | 1 | 0 |
| 45 | Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 46 | Hi, Holly. | 1 | 0 |
| 47 | Hi, Ben. | 1 | 0 |
| 48 | Well, where’s Gaston? | 2 | 1 |
| 49 | He hasn’t turned up yet. | 5 | 1 |
| 50 | Oh. | 1 | 0 |
| 51 | Let’s go and find him. | 5 | 0 |
| 52 | OK. | 1 | 0 |
| 53 | Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 54 | Are you coming out to play? | 6 | 1 |
| 55 | Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 56 | Gaston’s not answering. | 3 | 1 |
| 57 | Aye. | 1 | 0 |
| 58 | Maybe we’ve upset him. | 4 | 1 |
| 59 | But we have such fun together. | 6 | 1 |
| 60 | Aye. | 1 | 0 |
| 61 | Like when I ??? | 4 | 1 |
| 62 | And like when I ride on his back. | 8 | 1 |
| 63 | But do you think Gaston enjoys it? | 7 | 1 |
| 64 | Hm. Perhaps he doesn’t. | 3 | 1 |
| 65 | Maybe Gaston’s sad. | 3 | 1 |
| 66 | That’s why he doesn’t come out to play. | 8 | 1 |
| 67 | Oh, dear! | 1 | 0 |
| 68 | What can we do? | 4 | 1 |
| 69 | Nanny Plum will know what to say. | 7 | 1 |
| 70 | She knows everything about what to say. | 7 | 1 |
| 71 | Good idea. | 2 | 0 |
| 72 | Nanny Plum, Gaston the lady bird is not happy. | 7 | 1 |
| 73 | But Gaston is our best friend. | 6 | 1 |
| 74 | Can you do something? | 4 | 1 |
| 75 | Please, Nanny Plum, please. | 2 | 0 |
| 76 | Please, Nanny Plum, please. | 2 | 0 |
| 77 | Thanks, Nanny. | 1 | 0 |
| 78 | This is Gaston’s cave. | 4 | 1 |
| 79 | He’s a ladybird. | 3 | 1 |
| 80 | Oh, look. | 1 | 0 |
| 81 | The door’s open. | 3 | 1 |
| 82 | Gaston’s not here. | 3 | 1 |
| 83 | He’s gone off somewhere to be sad. | 7 | 1 |
| 84 | Yes. | 1 | 0 |
| 85 | That’ll be a nice surprise. | 5 | 1 |
| 86 | And Gaston will be happy again. | 6 | 1 |
| 87 | Yes, Nanny Plum. | 1 | 0 |
| 88 | Yes, Nanny Plum. | 1 | 0 |
| 89 | Hurrah! | 1 | 0 |
| 90 | Hurrah! | 1 | 0 |
| 91 | Gaston’s coming. | 2 | 1 |
| 92 | Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 93 | We’ve come to cheer you up. | 6 | 1 |
| 94 | We don’t like it when you’re sad. | 7 | 1 |
| 95 | We’re really sorry rolling you over. | 6 | 1 |
| 96 | And riding on your back. | 5 | 0 |
| 97 | What’s he saying Nanny? | 3 | 1 |
| 98 | Gaston, what’s wrong? | 2 | 1 |
| 99 | Nanny, what did he say? | 4 | 1 |
| 100 | Sorry, Gaston. | 1 | 0 |
| 101 | Don’t worry. | 2 | 0 |
| 102 | We’ll make it just the way you like it. | 9 | 1 |
| 103 | Yes. | 1 | 0 |
| 104 | We’re very good at making things messy. | 7 | 1 |
| 105 | This is fun. | 3 | 1 |
| 106 | Hee,hee. | 1 | 0 |
| 107 | A cobweb here. | 3 | 0 |
| 108 | A cobweb there. | 3 | 0 |
| 109 | Brilliant. | 1 | 0 |
| 110 | Smelly socks. | 2 | 0 |
| 111 | ??? lollipops. | 2 | 0 |
| 112 | Hurrah! | 1 | 0 |
| 113 | Hurrah! | 1 | 0 |
| 114 | And if you ever want us to make your cave untidy again, Gaston, | 12 | 1 |
| 115 | Don’t be afraid to ask. | 5 | 0 |
| 116 | Yes. | 1 | 0 |
| 117 | That’s what friends are for. | 5 | 1 |
| 118 | Come on. | 2 | 0 |
| 119 | Let’s play. | 2 | 0 |
| 120 | Hey. | 1 | 0 |
| 121 | Wait for us. | 3 | 0 |
| 122 | Come on, Gaston. | 2 | 0 |
| 123 | Giddy up. | 2 | 0 |
| 124 | Giddy up. | 2 | 0 |
| 125 | Can’t catch me. | 3 | 0 |
| 126 | Yes, we can. | 3 | 1 |
| 127 | Gaston! | 1 | 1 |
| Bitesize の平均語数 366/127=2.88 | 366 | 51 |