Is な used for emphasis or negative imperative in this sentence?


> 「おまえ、そんな体験したこともねぇのにわかったようなこと言う **な** っ」  
>  Even though you've never had such an experience, (you say things like you
> understand)/(don't say things like you understand).

Is this な the negative imperative or just an emphatic marker? How can I know?

My guess is that it's imperative since it's written な **っ**. But my English
translation "even though X don't Y" isn't good English grammar, so I'm not
sure if this is allowed in Japanese.




> 「おまえ、そんな体験したこともねぇのにわかったようなこと言う **なっ** 」  
>  How can I know?

When it's spoken, you could easily tell the difference by the pitch accent:

わかったようなこと[言うな]{LHL} ← negative imperative  
わかったようなこと[言うな]{LHH} ← mild emphasis, emotion

But in writing it could be ambiguous. So I'd write it as 「言うなっ！」or 「言うなよ」 etc.
to clearly show that it's negative imperative. To clearly show that it's the
emphatic/emotional な, I would probably write it as 「言うなぁ」「言うな・・・」「言うな？」「言うよな」
etc., add 「よくもそんな」「よくそんな」, and/or maybe change the verb into the potential
form, as in:

> おまえ、そんな体験したこともねぇのに **よくもそんな** わかったようなこと言うな？  
>  おまえ、そんな体験したこともねぇのによくそんなわかったようなこと(が) **言える** な。

* * *

> But my English translation "even though X don't Y" isn't good English
> grammar, so I'm not sure if this is allowed in Japanese.

The のに (even though) is being used here because したこともねぇのに modifies 言う, not
言うな. In other words, the scope of negation is the whole 「そんな～～～言う」, not just
「わかったようなことを言う」:

> [(そんな体験したこともねぇのに)わかったようなこと言う]+な  
>  "don't do" + "talk like you know it all even though you've never had such
> an experience"

→ "Don't talk like you know it all" + "when you've never had such an
experience."




> 「おまえ、そんな体験したこともねぇのにわかったようなこと言う **なっ** 」  
>  How can I know?

When it's spoken, you could easily tell the difference by the pitch accent:

わかったようなこと[言うな]{LHL} ← negative imperative  
わかったようなこと[言うな]{LHH} ← mild emphasis, emotion

But in writing it could be ambiguous. So I'd write it as 「言うなっ！」or 「言うなよ」 etc.
to clearly show that it's negative imperative. To clearly show that it's the
emphatic/emotional な, I would probably write it as 「言うなぁ」「言うな・・・」「言うな？」「言うよな」
etc., add 「よくもそんな」「よくそんな」, and/or maybe change the verb into the potential
form, as in:

> おまえ、そんな体験したこともねぇのに **よくもそんな** わかったようなこと言うな？  
>  おまえ、そんな体験したこともねぇのによくそんなわかったようなこと(が) **言える** な。

* * *

> But my English translation "even though X don't Y" isn't good English
> grammar, so I'm not sure if this is allowed in Japanese.

The のに (even though) is being used here because したこともねぇのに modifies 言う, not
言うな. In other words, the scope of negation is the whole 「そんな～～～言う」, not just
「わかったようなことを言う」:

> [(そんな体験したこともねぇのに)わかったようなこと言う]+な  
>  "don't do" + "talk like you know it all even though you've never had such
> an experience"

→ "Don't talk like you know it all" + "when you've never had such an
experience."

