What does this もまた mean?


What is the difference between も and また?

Context: 山田もまたパーティーに 来ます。

So, も means "too" and the one meaning of また is also "too". What's the
difference between these two words and why they were used together in that
sentence?




This sentence is technically ambiguous; また can mean either "also" or "again"
here. Assuming the meaning of "again" is not intended, もまた is a literary,
emphatic and/or dramatic way of saying "also".

For example, one can say:

  * 彼もまた人間なのです。  
He too is a human being.

  * それもまた人生だ。  
That's also (a form of) life.  
(i.e., People's lives are varied.)

もまた is not redundant at all if used this way.

However, I can feel nothing dramatic or didactic in 山田もまたパーティーに来ます, so this
もまた looks a little awkward to me. Maybe the speaker had a good reason to
emphasize the "(not only someone but) also" part, or maybe this また just means
"again".




This sentence is technically ambiguous; また can mean either "also" or "again"
here. Assuming the meaning of "again" is not intended, もまた is a literary,
emphatic and/or dramatic way of saying "also".

For example, one can say:

  * 彼もまた人間なのです。  
He too is a human being.

  * それもまた人生だ。  
That's also (a form of) life.  
(i.e., People's lives are varied.)

もまた is not redundant at all if used this way.

However, I can feel nothing dramatic or didactic in 山田もまたパーティーに来ます, so this
もまた looks a little awkward to me. Maybe the speaker had a good reason to
emphasize the "(not only someone but) also" part, or maybe this また just means
"again".

