Given That: だけに・だけ（のことは）あって
In this lesson, we will learn about very similar grammar points which utilize the particle だけ that represent an inherent consequence/evaluation. Before delving into the grammar points at the core of this discussion, let’s first recap how だけ connects to various predicates1, but in the context of ～だけに.
| Verbal Predicates | 連体形 ＋ ～だけ ex. するだけに |
| Adjectival Predicates | 連体形 ＋ ～だけ ex. 高いだけに |
| Adjectival-Noun Predicates | 連体形 ＋ ～だけ ex. 有名なだけに |
| Bare2 Noun-Predicates | Noun ＋ ～だけ ex. 犬だけに |
| Non-Bare/Embedded Noun-Predicates | Noun ＋ ｛な・である｝だけ ex. 場所が場所であるだけに |
Generally speaking, ～だけ can follow any conjugation of these predicate types. This is particularly important to keep in mind for when and when not to use the copula with it for noun-predicates, but more of that dynamic will be discussed throughout this lesson.
～だけに
The basic function of ～だけに is as follows: Situation B is an expected result given Situation A. The expected result=outcome (Situation B) may be either a positive or negative outcome.
1. ここは有名なだけに、沢山の人が訪れます。
With how famous this place is, lots of people visit it.
2. よく勉強しただけに、いい成績で合格しました。
I passed with a good grade as expected given how often I studied.
3. 彼は政治屋だけに口が巧いだろう。
He’s probably a good talker for being a politician.
4. 津波で町全体が荒らされただけに、一戸の建物さえ残っているのにびっくりしました。
Given how the entire town was devastated by the tsunami, I was surprised that just one building remained.
5. 民主党が勝手に頑固たる政策方針を結束して言い張り続けただけに、選挙戦に敗戦して自民党・公明党が当選を果たしたのだろう。
Given how the DJP continued to insist, in solidarity, on their stubborn policy stance as they pleased, they lost in the election battle and the LDP and Komeito won (as expected).
6. 敵の防壁を潔く突破しただけに、宮殿に入ってからすぐに殺されたという戦死の告知は母国に大嘘だと見なされた。
Given how (he) had gracefully burst through the enemy bulwark, the notice of his death in war after being killed once he had entered the palace was taken as a big lie in his homeland.
7. 台風の被害が大きかっただけに、都市の復興振ぶりには目を見張るものがあった。
Given how great the damage from the typhoon was, the state of the city’s reconstruction was quite something to behold.
8. それだけに3、１台当たりの単価が凄く高いんだ！
So that‘s precisely why the cost for 1 device is so expensive!
If the outcome is negative, the overall tone and word choices made throughout the sentence will often be abrasive. Moreover, the scale at which the outcome is bad directly reflects how bad the input (cause = Situation A) is.
9. 遊んでばかりで勉強しなかっただけに、さすがの俺も不合格だった。
It’s only natural that I, too, failed given how all I did was goof around and not study.
Non-Bare/Embedded Noun-Predicate
+｛な・である・∅｝だけに
Incidentally, while it is often the case that ～だけに directly attaches to “bare” noun-predicates like in Exs. 3 and 8, the copula may still overtly intervene4. As to be expected, if it does overtly intervene, it does so in the 連体形, in which case な・である5 are both viable, with な being the overwhelming choice, especially in the spoken language.
One situation in which the overt appearance of the copula usually occurs is when the noun predicate is composed of the same noun being duplicated in NがN fashion.
10. 場所が場所なだけに、トラブルに巻き込まれるのも想像に難くない。
Given the location is what it is, it’s not hard to imagine at all that one would get into trouble there.
11. 性格が性格なだけに、本音をはっきり言えないことが多い。
Given (their) personality, (they) often find themselves incapable of speaking (their) mind.
12. 話が話だけに胸が苦しくなる。
Just talking about it makes my heart ache.
Literally: The discussion itself being what it is makes my heart ache.
When the noun-predicate can be viewed as a full-fledged embedded clause, for that clause to then modify ～だけに, the 連体形 of a verbal element MUST be present. To make this point obvious, [] will be used to demarcate these embedded clauses. Also note the use of the particle が and how は cannot appear inside said embedded clauses. However, a topicalized phrase can appear outside said embedded clause, including at the front of the sentence like in Exs. 14 and 15.
13. [婚約者というやつが、実にエゴイストで、嫌われ者である]だけに、なおさら観客の同情は彼女に集中する。
Given how her fiancé is truly an egoist and such a hated individual, the audience’s sympathy focuses on her all the more.
14. 母も[書道もあまりに身近な存在だった]だけに、客観視することができなかったのかもしれない。
Since mom also had too close of an existence with calligraphy too, she might not have been able to see (her work) from an objective point of view.
From『文藝春秋 2008 (2)』by 武田双雲.
15. 韓国は[儒教文化が残るとされる国]なだけに、パク・クネ氏が初めての女性として大統領選挙で選び出されたことは韓国社会の変化を象徴しているだけでなく、アジア諸国の社会変動も象徴しているのかもしれません。
Given how South Korea is considered a nation in which Confucian culture has held on, the election of Park Geun-hye as the first female president not only symbolizes change in Korean society, but it may also symbolize societal change in all of Asia.
Now, for non-embedded noun-predicates that take ～だけに, the absence of the copula can be explained by it simply not overtly being present, instead residing in the deep structure of this grammar point, with the heightened adverbial nature of the phrase triggering the copula’s ellipsis. Conversely, with any level of complexity in a noun-predicate triggering the presence of the copula, any noun-predicate outside the affirmative non-past and any noun-predicate with added modifiers would meet that threshold of complexity.
16. 亮君は普段から優しい性格なだけに、かえって6怒らせたらえらく怖いだろう。
Given how Ryo-kun is normally such a kind person, if you were to anger him, he’d probably be terribly scary.
As such, instead of limiting the appearance of the copula to “embedded” noun-predicates, the copula may appear to any “non-bare” noun-predicate, meaning any which exhibit any sort of modifiers (such as the modify shown in grey in Ex. 16).
～だけあって
While ～だけあって similarly indicates that Situation B is only expected given Situation A, it is only used for when said outcome (Situation B) is a positive situation. Not only is the outcome positive, but the scale of said outcome is a direct reflection of how outstanding the cause (Situation A) is.
17. ずいぶん遠くから通ってくる｛だけあって X・だけに 〇｝、よく遅刻しますね。
Given quite the distance you travel to commute here, you sure are often late.
18. インドネシアは赤道に近いだけあって、うだるように蒸し暑いですね。僕の親友がジャワ島に住んでいますから、訪ねるために身軽な服装を持っていかないといけないでしょう。
Given how Indonesia is close to the Equator, it would make sense that it’s so swelteringly hot, huh. Since my close friend lives on Java Island, I’ll probably have to take light clothing to visit.
19. ここは港町というだけあって、いつも船の出入りが多いね。
Given how this here is a port town, there are always so many ships coming and going.
The natural positive feel ～だけあって does beg the question as to how “positive” evaluations made with だけに really are in comparison. Consider the following:
20a. 毎日、産地から直送されてくるだけに、ここの料理はいつも美味しい。
20b. 毎日、産地から直送されてくるだけあって、ここの料理はいつも美味しい。
In Ex. 20a, ～だけに does state in a matter-of-fact tone that the deliciousness of the food is to be expected because of how ingredients are directly sent to the establishment on a daily basis, but the calmness behind how it would be uttered leaves much to be desired. Is there not more to the speaker’s evaluation. What about that act being a reflection of the management’s dedication? In a way, although Situation B is not a negative outcome, there is not as big of an emotional tug implied like there is with ～だけあって. In other words, ～だけあって is more suitable for implying genuine admiration/exhilaration.
Incidentally, in situations in which Situation B (outcome) would otherwise be negative but ～だけあって is still used, in theory, the sentence may still very well be grammatical. The difference, then, will be that the version with ～だけあって spins Situation B into a positive light as a joke or sarcasm.
21. 言語学者だけあって、セスさんの質問がやたら専門的すぎるんだよな。
As you’d expect from a linguist, Seth-san’s questions are way too technical, huh!
さすが（の）
The adverb(ial noun) さすが（の） often accompanies the structure ～だけあって whenever Situation A is simply a certain agent/subject being themselves/itself.
22. 串カツは、さすが田中さんだけあってどれも味がギュッと詰まっていた。
Just as you’d expect from Tanaka-san, his kushikatsu were all packed with flavor.
23. さすが評判の旅館7だけあって、料理もサービスもこの上なく素晴らしい。
Just as you’d expect of a highly rated inn, the food and service were utmost excellent.
Of course, さすが can also be used as a typical adverb with ～だけあって to further emphasize how obvious a scenario being so is to be expected.
24. さすが若いだけあってあっという間に習得するんだね。
(He)’s learning it in no time, just like you’d expect of someone as young as (him).
～だけ: Corresponding/Proportional Degree/Change ⇒ Natural Casual Relationship/Course of Events
While ～だけ’s basic function is to express extent like the English word “only,” this notion of “extent” can be extended over its ability to show “the corresponding extent of worth” behind whatever it follows. Consider the following sentences in which this is true that do not utilize だけに・だけあって.
25. 熱で寝込まないだけいつもよりましだ。
At least I’m not bedridden with a fever like I’d usually have.
26. 信奉者は、生きていけることだけでも家族が無事なだけでも十分神さまの恩恵を感じて幸福なのだろう。
Believers will surely feel blessed by God, happy for just being able to get by or for their families to be safe.
Of course, the exact interpretations of だけに・だけあって still require two situations in the picture: a cause and an effect. Contrast this with when だけ simply means “only,” in which case だけ is only delineating the extent of whatever it is following—a fact still true for the sentences we just saw.
27. 苺味を加えてやっただけだ。
All I did was add strawberry flavoring.
28. この身体が、愛する人のためだけに8穢されていく。
This body (of mine) is to be defiled purely for the sake of the one I love.
Now, as a bridging context, whenever you see the pattern V＋～たいだけ＋V, while there are not two scenarios, the degree≈value behind V being executed is as much as however the agent wants to do said verb.
29. 笑いたいだけ笑わせればいい。
Have (them) laugh however much (they) wish to laugh.
30. 一方、睡眠不足で不健康にはなっても、逆に寝たいだけ寝ても健康を害することはないという。
On the other hand, while lack of sleep can be detrimental to your health, sleeping as much as you want will not harm your health, as they say.
～だけのことはあって
～だけあって is actually a contraction of ～だけのことはあって. The purpose of having こと present in the structure was to more concretely refer to the value/worth/effect being positively evaluated. If that worth is readily ascertainable by Situation A, [のことは] may be omitted, but it turns out that if said valuable is not so apparent, [のことは] should not be omitted from the structure.
31. 値段｛だけのことはあって 〇・だけあって △｝、いいワインでしたね。
Given the price, it was a nice wine, huh.
32. カルロスさんは若いころからバルセロナに住んでいただけ（のことは）あって、さすがカタルーニャ語もうまいんだね。
Given how Carlos has lived in Barcelona since he was young, it’s no wonder he is also fluent in Catalan.
～だけ（のことは）ある
Having recapped だけ functions and learned about ～だけ（のことは）あって, it would only be natural ～だけ（のことは）ある may follow a predicate to indicate its worth/adequacy of fulfilling a goal. As this structure only covers the “cause,” the positive effect is understood in context.
32. 公費を削減するだけのことはある。
Cutting public spending is worth it.
33. 高かっただけのことはあるな。
It was expensive but worth it.
34. さすが（に）大学に行っただけのことはある。
As expected, (he)’s what you’d expect of someone who went to college.
To conclude, when we think about what ～こと means in this structure, it would only make sense that こと can be replaced with a concrete word. It turns out that this is most definitely possible, as だけ’s ability to show sufficient extent can be attributed to nouns that are being positively assessed.
35. 日本代表には、W杯で何かを成し遂げるだけの力がある。
Those representing Japan have the power to accomplish something at the World Cup.
36. 山頂からの素晴らしい眺めは登るだけの価値がある。
The amazing view from the summit is very much worth the climb.
In this example, the concern is whether the view has enough value to go up the mountain, and the use of だけ indicates that it most certainly does, and that that assessment is only natural.
- This lesson is not about how the adverbial particle ～だけ attaches to nouns (with or without case particles attached). Instead, it follows entire predicates with said predicates modifying it much like they would a noun, with the resultant phrase behaving much like an adverb. This is made possible by how ～だけ does ultimately derive from the noun 丈 meaning “length.” ↩︎
- “Bare” in this context refers to exhibiting no modifiers on the noun that constitutes the Y in “X is Y.” ↩︎
- Demonstratives gain their meaning via context, and this example of それだけに shows just how much semantic weight is being placed on それ—in this context, an entire Situation A (= “given all that”). ↩︎
- Japanese resources, both in print and online, contradict each other as to whether they list “N + なだけに.” As this lesson showcases, what triggers the native mind to use な or not is not all that simple, even if its presence is never grammatically wrong, which is the likely reason for not mentioning its inclusion as a valid option. ↩︎
- In the case of adjectival-noun predicates as well, である can be seen replacing な, but this is limited to formal, mostly written language in practice. ↩︎
- The adverb かえって is often used with this pattern to emphasis how counterintuitively likely the opposite (bad) outcome would be so. ↩︎
- While 評判の is a modifier, the resultant [評判の旅館] can be viewed as a compound noun. However, this does not negate the possibility of the copula overtly appearing. ↩︎
- Instances of だけに like that found in Ex. 29 ought not be misconstrued for the grammar point ～だけに that follows predicates. ↩︎