The Space Between Us: Part 3 of 3
Monday, September 24th, 2007
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How much space lies between human beings? Are we naturally gregarious or solitary?
Perhaps we’re not unlike wolves, who nestle tightly in a cave at night, drawing on each other’s warmth, then stumbling out in the morning when there’s no more oxygen. If so, then those jammed together in an Indian tenement slum would seem to have achieved the most natural form of life.
Kanji and Ria, two “wolves” huddling for warmth and safety
as they brave the wild.
Or are we most naturally ourselves when acres lie between us? Maybe Thoreau knew most about what suits humans—peaceful solitude in which to think deep thoughts. I recently learned of fourteen families in Ohio who collectively bought 620 acres, then placed their houses far apart for maximum privacy. The mission statement for this community emphasizes that independence and individuality are top priorities. As someone commented to me, “It’s the anti-community community.”
I ask these questions about human nature because 人間 (ningen: human being) breaks down as person + between. One could visualize between in a positive sense here. If it materialized, it would look like connective material (strings of glue?) joining people. In that case, between would have a sense of “groupiness.” (Do I sound like Stephen Colbert here?) But with a colder outlook on human relations, one might interpret between as meaning “the space between.” In a previous blog, we looked at 間 as an interval between objects, and one could see human beings as those objects.
Whatever nuance 間 might have in 人間, the word itself has a neutral connotation, just as the English term “human being” does. But various elaborations on 人間 (mostly in the form of suffixes) create certain moods, both positive and negative. You’ll find examples of each in the first Verbal Logic Quiz.
A Tale of Friendship
The fundamental question is, can human beings get along or not? As I rifled through Spahn’s dictionary for compounds containing 間, five words in a row jumped off the page as a unit, immediately suggesting a tale.
We start with 友人間に (yūjinkan ni: among one’s friends, friend + human being). Ah, what a lovely image. One is among friends, and they’re presumably decent human beings. This is a comforting, warming idea in a world where winds can be much too cold.
For a Note on the Yomi of 友人間に …
Spahn then mentions 仲間 (nakama: member of a group, personal relations + between). This is again reassuring; the friendships have solidified so much that there’s a definable group.
One joins the group through the process of 仲間入り (nakama-iri), which means “to become one of the group.” This 入り means “to enter, to join, to be accepted as a member,” so there’s a definite feeling of inclusion here.
But what’s this? Spahn next introduces 仲間外れ (nakamahazure: being left out). Oh, what a painful word. You may know 外 as soto or GAI, meaning “outside.” But with the yomi of hazu(reru), 外 means “to be separated.” So 仲間外れ means one is separated from other members of the group, which is to say “cast out,” “shunned,” “shunted aside,” “booed off the field,” and so on.
Then Spahn presents the grand finale to the tale he has unwittingly spun: 仲間割れ (nakamaware: split among friends, falling out, internal discord). Here, 割 means “to split into” or “to lose unity.” So the group has dissolved, with cold, hard feelings all around.
Well, maybe it’s not such a sad ending after all. Wasn’t this the group that pushed our protagonist aside so callously? Just deserts, I think.
On the Overlaps Between 離, 外, and 割 …
Tests of Friendship
Which is more confusing—human relationships or crazy compounds? Relationships may seem relatively straightforward after you take the next Verbal Logic Quiz!
Well, why stop at two Verbal Logic Quizzes? Here’s one more. Enjoy!
Posted by Eve Kushner in Kanji Curiosity |
September 27th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Hello, Eve.
I really enjoyed the picture of your dogs. They look really comfortable together!!
One interesting thing about your comment was the word 人間 (にんげん), meaning “human being”. It’s somehow funny and also a good mnemonic for me, that in my native language the word “ninguém” (exactly same pronounciation of 人間) means “nobody”. So, “nobody” in my language is the same as “somebody / i.e. a human being” in Japanese.
I believe a good way to remember kanji is exactly this association with some images, sounds or character correspondence. And this example works really fine for me.
Thank you for the post…
September 27th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Btw, did you get the name for your post from the Dave Matthews Band, “the space between”???
Made me want to listen to that song again!!
September 28th, 2007 at 12:55 am
Thanks so much for the comments!
Yes, Kanji and Ria are all about comfort. Must be where the term “creature comforts” originated!
That’s fascinating about 人間 versus “ninguém”!!! Thank you for sharing that. I don’t know anything about Portuguese, but do you think the “nin” of “ninguém” is derived from something like the English “no” or “non” (maybe like “no” in Spanish or “non” in French)? Meanwhile, I’m wondering if “guém” is kind of like “gente” in Spanish or “gens” in French, both meaning “people.” If those guesses are anywhere close to being right, then “ninguém” is a whole lot more logical than 人間. But there’s kanji for you!
About the post title, I had the phrase “the space between us” floating around in my head. And as with so much of the stuff knocking around in there, I wasn’t sure where it came from or if it sprang to life on its own. So I Googled it, and I’m pretty sure I did come across the Dave Matthews title. But I’m not a fan of his or anything.
September 28th, 2007 at 6:28 am
So, what a tricky question!!!
I really don’t know. I tried to find something on the internet, even in my dictionary, but all I could find was that it came from the Latin word: “neguem”.
We have some prefixes meaning “not” or “opposite” in Portuguese most from Latin and Greek origin, which are “in-”, “des-”, “anti-”, “não-” (this word alone means “no”), “sem-”, but not “nin”.
On the other hand, the word “alguém” means “somebody”. So, maybe there is a connection. I’m not sure, though. I would have to look at it in an etymological dictionary, which I don’t have around. If I found some information about it, I’ll be glad to write you back.
September 28th, 2007 at 7:13 am
OK, thanks! Don’t go to any trouble.
“Alguém” means “somebody”: makes sense, given the Spanish “alguien”
(somebody). But then, if one were to think logically, one might guess that “ningún” meant “nobody,” and it doesn’t. It means “none.” “Nadie” means “nobody.”
Maybe I’ll stick to kanji!