日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 6

If you have a question about the language, ask it and fellow 4channers might see it and answer it for you.

Japanese - Ask questions thread
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1174719097/1-40

日語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread2 質問
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1206158123/1-40

日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 3
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1267485093/1-40

日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 4
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1302350850/1-40

日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 5
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1330050873/1-40

>>441
Instead of "doing something halfway", 掛ける is better understood in its actual/primary meaning of "to hang, roist, or raise". When you hang something, the idea (at least in so far as its Japanese understanding) is that you begin an action and then it is kind of frozen, made to wait, literally just "hanging there" etc. Any further action outside of or as a result of the primary action is not included. Obviously there's always some exceptions and this is just a way to think about what the verb "means", not a guide on its usage which would simply require you to memorize it and not worry about a deeper understanding. For example, the idea of "hang" for some verbs is literal. Like 振りかける, where you "shake and then hang" (sprinkle) salt or pepper onto something. Or 立て掛ける, where you "stand and then hang" (lean) something up against something else.

仕掛ける: to commence (but not finish), to lay a mine (but not detonate it), to wage war (but not fight it)
言掛ける: to begin to speak, to stop halfway in speaking
話掛ける: to being to talk to (but not enter into conversation)