Thursday, April 6, 2017

grammar - Usage of なんて and なんか as emphasis


When are なんて and なんか used as emphasis in casual speech? Are they used when you're surprised, angry or can it be both? What sort of feeling does it convey to the listener compared to a normal sentence without it.


For example, in the following 3 sentences I'm not entirely sure what the "なんて” and ”なんか” are expressing.



こんな[所]{ところ}におばけなんていねーよ。 There are no ghosts in a place like this.


[彼女]{かのじょ}が[結婚]{けっこん}したなんてちっとも[知]{し}らなかった。 I had no idea she got married.


[私]{わたし}なんか3[枚]{まい}のレポートも[書]{か}けない。 I cannot even write a 3 page report.





Answer



They are basically "weak" form of は in this context. My grammar book says 「〜を大切ではないと考えている(軽視する)時の言葉」. Basically when you're kind of ignoring the importance of, or even slightly putting down, the topic of the sentence. 愛なんか要らない。(I don't need love!)


So like for your first example to me sounds like, "There's no stupid ghosts around here" (like almost taunting any that might be there). Or the second one has the tone of "Well, I had no idea she got married, but whatever."


The usage is [微妙]{び・みょう}. Don't overuse it, or you'll sound like you're better than everyone/everything. Especially don't use it if something needs to have importance placed on it.


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