６ 気持ちを話す
ある事柄についての自分の気持ちや態度を伝えることは、会話の重要な要素です。どのような表現があるか例題を見てみましょう。
花粉症の季節がやってきた。今年は近畿から関東でスギ花粉がかなり多いと予測されている。花粉症の予防には花粉が本格的に飛ぶ前から薬を飲むことが効果的だ。
英作文
The hay fever season
has arrived. In the regions from Kinki to Kanto, the amount of cedar pollen is
forecast to be pretty high this year. To prevent hay fever, it is effective to
start taking medicine before the peak season of pollen arrives.
英会話
George: “Hello,
Makoto. You don’t look good. What’s wrong with you?”
Makoto: “Hi,
George. I feel awful today. I’ve got hey fever already. I’m afraid
I am suffering this running nose and itchy eyes for a while.”
George: “Sorry
to hear that. So, the hey fever has come again. How bad is it this year?”
Makoto: “The amount
of cedar pollen will be pretty high this year, they say.”
George: “Too bad.
Is the pollen all over Japan?”
Makoto: “I think
so. But it will be particularly high from Kinki to Kanto.”
George: “I hear
taking medicine will help. Are you taking any medicine?”
Makoto: “Yes, I am.
I hope it can help me a bit. Don’t you suffer hey fever?”
George: “Fortunately
not. I guess my body is not sensitive. How is your appetite? If you are
hungry, let’s eat lunch together?”
Makoto: “All right.
I’m glad I haven’t lost my appetite. In fact, eating hot ramen is really
good for my hey fever.
上の会話で下線の部分が気持ちを表す表現ですね。気持ちの表現はたくさんあります。気持ち、感想を述べる常套句を列挙してみましょう。
(1) I am
pleased (that) you could come.またはI am pleased to see you.というように動詞の受動態を使って、、気持ち、感想を表現する常套句：
I am thrilled ~. I
am overjoyed ~. I am delighted ~. I am satisfied ~.
I am disappointed ~.
I am upset ~. I am concerned ~. I am shattered ~. I am devastated ~.
(2) I am
glad that you could come.またはI am
glad to see you.のように形容詞を使って気持ちを表現する常套句：
I am glad ~. I am
happy ~. I am content ~.
I am sorry ~. I am
sad ~. I am unhappy ~.
(3) It is wonderful
(that) they can work together well.のように形容詞を使って感想を述べる表現：
It is amazing ~. It is doubtful ~. It is fair ~. It is good ~. It is important ~. I is lucky ~. It is interesting ~. It is odd ~. It is funny ~. It is surprising ~.
(4) It
amazes me (that) he can work eight hours a day at his age. のように動詞を使って気持ち、感想を表現する常套句：
It amuses me ~. It
astonished me ~. It bothers me ~. It worries me ~. It pleases me ~. It
interests me ~. It shocks me ~. It delights me ~. It horrifies me ~. It upsets
me ~.
(5) Surprisingly,
I could finish it in time. のように副詞を使って気持ちや感想を述べる、または強調する。
astonishingly,
fortunately, happily, incredibly, remarkably, sadly, truly, unhappily,
naturally, miraculously, frankly, honestly.
鳥取市のＪＲ鳥取駅前にある花時計の花の植え替え作業が２月１５日、うららかな日差しの下で行われた。白、黄、青、赤の花びらが美しいパンジ1,000株が、直径6メートルの盤面にあしらわれ、同市の表玄関を春らしく彩った。
英作文
On February 15, the
City of Tottori planted pansies in the sundial in front of JR Tottori Station
on the warm and sunny day. About 1,000 bushes of white, yellow, blue, and red
pansies decorated the large sundial that is six meters in diameter This display
reminded people of the early arrival of spring.
英会話
George: “HI,
Makoto. I haven’t seen you around for a while. Where have you been?”
Makoto: “Hi,
George. I’ve been to Tottori City to see my parents.”
George: “That was
nice of you. How were your parents?”
Makoto: “They were
fine. They were doing all right. Thank you.”
George: “Wasn’t it
still cold in Tottori?”
Makoto: “No, it
wasn’t cold. To my surprise1, Tottori was much warmer than Tokyo.
I arrived at Tottori on February fifteenth and it was a warm spring-like day. I
walked out of JR Tottori Station and saw a huge flower sundial in front of the
station. They were just replanting pansies. The sundial was about six meters in
diameter and they needed a lot of flowers. I think there were more than one
thousand white, yellow, blue and red pansies. I liked the ideal of setting
up the flower sundial in front of the station. I really felt welcomed to
the city by the sundial. Moreover,
it was wonderful to see more than one thousand pansies in one place2.
I was delighted to see that spring has already arrived, at least in
front of the station.
George: “That was
wonderful. I didn’t know you were a poet.”
Makoto: “Me, a
poet? Oh, all Japanese are poets. We have very distinctive fore seasons here in
Japan. So, we are very sensitive to change in the season.”
コメント
会話では、言いたい内容を幾つもの小さいないように分けてから話していますね。「鳥取に行った」、「駅前に花時計があった」、「花の植え替えをしていた」などの簡単な内容の小文ですが、会話では小文が続いても、小文と小文の関連がわかれば自然に聞こえます。下線部分は気持ち、感想を表現する常套句です。
1. 気持ち、感想を表現する副詞句で相手の注意を引きます。to my
disappointment, to my astonishment, to my regret, to my delightなどがあります。
2. この内容はすでに話していますが、会話では内容の重複、または言い換えで会話に間を入れたり、相手に内容が伝わることを確認したり、また強調したりします。
ストレスがたまりやすい現代、不眠に悩む人たちに「健康にいい睡眠」の秘けつを伝授しようと、厚生労働省は「睡眠指針」を策定する方針を決めた。寝酒頼りの生活に警鐘を鳴らし、睡眠のリズムの大切さなどを盛り込む方向で内容を詰め、今春にも公表する。
英作文
The Ministry of
Health, Labor and Welfare decided to establish g guideline for good and healthy
sleep. The guideline will tell people suffering from insomnia how to have a
good sleep. It will also include warnings against depending on alcohol for
sleep and will emphasize the importance of regular sleeping habits.
英会話
Makoto: “Hi,
George. You look sleepy today. I guess you didn’t sleep well last night.”
George: “No. I woke
up a couple of times last night. I’ve been extremely busy at my office all
through this week. I think it is stress that has been disturbing my sleep.”
Makoto: “Sorry
to hear that. I hope you don’t depend on alcohol to get sleep.”
George: “No…well, I
take a nightcap… just a little bit of whisky. But why?”
Makoto: “Because
regular sleeping habits are so important not only for you body but also for you
brain. Your brain needs a good rest during the night. If it doesn’t get a good
rest, then the brain is still tired in the morning. And the brain accumulates
tiredness over a period. Eventually, you are going to have general fatigue
syndromes.”
George: “It
doesn’t sound good. What are general fatigue syndromes?”
Makoto: “Well, your
brain is tired so much, it cannot control you body, and you just don’t feel
doing anything. You just feel like having a jet lag all day and night.”
George: “That
sounds terrible. Fortunately, I don’t feel that bad. But why do you
all about this?”
Makoto: “ Because I’ve
just read a report by the Ministry of Health. They published a guideline for good
and healthy sleep. They emphasize the importance of regular sleeping habits.” I
generally feel that government shouldn’t tell us what we do with our personal
life. But I am glad they’ve published this guideline. Because irregular
sleeping habits are now a major health problem not only for adults but for children
as well.”
上の会話の下線部分が気持ち、感想を述べる常套句です。