How to exhaustively list predicates in a non-temporal way?


Supposing that you want to express a list of events or actions
**exhaustively** and **without significance in ordering** (for example:
`Yesterday, I ate some ice cream, went to the store, and read a book`, but
those things weren't necessarily done in sequence), what are the possible
grammar constructions that can be used? These are some possibilities I've
seen:

>   * **て** → This seems too temporal to me; that is, it seems like all events
> are sequential. Can the て-form be used without time relations or
> restrictions?
>   * **たり** → This seems like it would work, but I don't know how exhaustive
> it is, since it seems to imply somethings might have been left out.
>   * **Stem (連用中止法)** → Not sure about this one. What is the proper way to
> use this? I believe this is similar to the て-Form.
>   * **そ(う)して** → I think this simple conjuction works, but it seems slightly
> tiresome if one is listing many actions.
>

I hope this question isn't being too open. I'm just looking for some opinions
and explanations for the different grammatical constructs that could be used
in these types of expressions.




I doubt that there is a construct which means an exhaustive, unordered list
unambiguously, just in the same way as there is probably no such construct in
English.

You are right in that listing with -て means (or at least strongly implies) the
temporal order, and in that -たり suggests that the list is not exhaustive.

Using two or more そして (or そうして) sounds unnatural, and it also strongly
suggests the temporal order.

Listing with 連用中止法 itself does not indicate whether the list is exhaustive or
not, and does not necessarily mean an ordered list. However, if you write
something like:

> 昨日アイスクリームを食べ、店に行き、本を読んだ。

I would assume by default that the events are stated in the temporal order
because it is the most natural order.

I think that listing with -し reduces the implication of the temporal order:

> 昨日アイスクリームを食べたし、店に行ったし、本を読んだ。

but it increases the implication that the list is not exhaustive in my
opinion, so it is probably not what you are looking for, either.

* * *

_Added_. If you say the number as in

> 昨日はアイスクリームを食べる、店に行く、本を読むという三つのことをした。

it implies that the list is exhaustive. The list is not necessarily in the
temporal order, but again, I would probably assume that the list is in the
temporal order unless the context implies otherwise.

In writing, a list can be annotated as “([順不同]{じゅんふどう})” to explicitly state
that the order is insignificant. For example, the [list of supporting
organizations for the traffic safety campaign in fall
2011](http://www8.cao.go.jp/koutu/keihatsu/undou/h23_aki/kyosan.html) is
stated as “(順不同).” However, it is unusual to use it in a sentence.

