Many you's in one paragraph.

[suprunp]

[Tamaru:] As I said, this guy is a professional.
[...]
“A professional is like a hunting dog,” Tamaru said. “He can sniff out what normal people can’t smell, hear what they can’t pick up. If you do the same things everyone else does, in the same way, then you’re no professional. Even if you are, you’re not going to survive for long. So you need to be vigilant. I know you are a very cautious person, but you have to be much more careful than you have been up till now.
(H. Murakami; 1Q84)

Tamaru is talking to Aomame about a guy who is a professional. Aomame is in hiding and this guy is apparently searching for her.

It seems to me that you's in red could be substituted with 'one'; you's in orange refer to Aomame; but who do you's in green refer to?
Or have I got this all wrong?


Thanks.

[shannico]

[QUOTE=suprunp;849228][Tamaru:] As I said, this guy is a professional.
[...]
“A professional is like a hunting dog,” Tamaru said. “He can sniff out what normal people can’t smell, hear what they can’t pick up. If you do the same things everyone else does, in the same way, then you’re no professional. Even if you are, you’re not going to survive for long. So you need to be vigilant. I know you are a very cautious person, but you have to be much more careful than you have been up till now.
(H. Murakami; 1Q84)

Tamaru is talking to Aomame about a guy who is a professional. Aomame is in hiding and this guy is apparently searching for her.

If a professional does the same things everyone else does, in the same way, then [COLOR="Magenta"]they[/COLOR ]are no professional. Even if they are, they are not going to survive for long

To my understanding I think the writer means "Even if you are a professional, but you make the mistake of doing things as everyone does, you are not going to survive for long.

Hope it helps.

[5jj]

“A professional is like a hunting dog,” Tamaru said. “He can sniff out what normal people can’t smell, hear what they can’t pick up. If you do the same things everyone else does, in the same way, then you’re no professional. Even if you are, you’re not going to survive for long. So you need to be vigilant. I know you are a very cautious person, but you have to be much more careful than you have been up till now.
(H. Murakami; 1Q84)

The three I have underlined are clearly addressed to Aomame. All the others could be interpreted as 'one' or as 'you, Aomame'. You () can't be certain.

[suprunp]

shannico, I'm most confused now!

If I understood you right you're saying that:

1) you's in green are not in any way connected to Aomame;
2) what Tamaru says before he begins to address Aomame boils down to:

1. One is not a professional if one does what everybody else does.
2. If one does what everybody else does but one is a professional one isn't going to survive for long.

Where 1 contradicts 2, in my opinion...

Thanks.

[shannico]

I totally agree with you.
It is a contradiction. That's probably why the writer says "Even if".

[suprunp]

The three I have underlined are clearly addressed to Aomame. All the others could be interpreted as 'one' or as 'you, Aomame'. You () can't be certain.

How does it read to you when you can't be certain of what a hero says, or is it a common thing (you's being up in the air, as it were) and you wouldn't even notice it normally?

Thanks.

[5jj]

I would probably assume that the first few you's meant one of the two things, and carry on happily. Frankly, it wouldn't really matter which I chose; nothing depends on it.

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) What a fun game! May I participate?

(2) Let's pretend that English doesn't have any personal pronouns. How then

would we express this paragraph? MAYBE something like:

A professional is a like a hunting dog," said Tamaru. "A hunting dog can sniff out

what normal people can't smell, hear what normal people can't pick up. If a

professional does the same things that everyone else does, in the same way, then

a professional is no professional. Even if a professional is a professional, a

professional is not going to survive for long. So Aomame needs to be vigilant. Tamaru

knows that Aomame is a very cautious person, but Aomame has to be

much more careful than Aomame has been up till now."