Friday, June 23, 2017

word choice - When would you use 新{あら}たな and 新{あたら}しい


To say new, the first way that I learned is to use the i-adjective 新しい. But I noticed that the na-adjective 新たな is used a lot in written texts. Is there any difference in when either is used?



Answer




新しい is a famous example of metathesis. Originally, it was [新]{あら}たし. Over the time, the positions of and have switched, and the new form [新]{あたら}し was created, which evolved into today's standard form 新しい, and today, the old form is preserved only as the na-adjective 新た. Na-adjectives are often used to incorporate Chinese words, and those words generally have a formal impression as opposed to i-adjectives, which are well familiarized words. 新た is no exception. It is used in formal contexts or when you want to have some literary effect.


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