What does 日本語で送っても読めますか？ mean?


I mean I understand all the parts separately but I can't lay my finger on the
core meaning of the sentence.

Whole message:

> Hi I'm maho !  
>  17years old, from Japan.  
>  your Japanese is good !  
>  my English is poor.  
>  
>  日本語で送っても読めますか？  
>  
>  I want to be your pen pal.  
>  Good bye




> 日本語で送っても読めますか?

istrasci’s first translation is good:

> (Even) If I send the (mail) in Japanese, will you be able to read it?

(It is a little silly to ask this question in Japanese, because if the answer
is “no,” you are not expected to understand the question….)

The で in the sentence is a [case marker which signifies place, time, means,
cause, and so
on](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%81%A7&dtype=0&dname=0ss&stype=1&pagenum=1&index=113244500000),
and in this case, it signifies means.

istrasci raised an interesting point: 日本語で (in Japanese) does not state a
means of sending a mail. Means of sending a mail include “by air mail,” “by
sea mail,” “electronically,” and so on, but “in Japanese” is a means of
_composing_ a mail, not a means of _sending_ a composed mail.

However, (手紙を/メールを)送る does not always refer to the mere action of sending an
already composed mail. It can collectively refer to the action of composing
and sending a mail. In this sense, 日本語で indeed describes a means of this
broader action.

As an aside, I note that case marker で etymologically arises from copula.
Slightly more precisely, case marker で originates from にて and copula だ
originates from にてあり, and these にて are the same thing (the combination of case
marker に and particle て). But we usually distinguish case marker で from copula
when we talk about the Japanese grammar. As dainichi wrote, _this で is no more
a connective form of copula than all で particles are_.




> 日本語で送っても読めますか?

istrasci’s first translation is good:

> (Even) If I send the (mail) in Japanese, will you be able to read it?

(It is a little silly to ask this question in Japanese, because if the answer
is “no,” you are not expected to understand the question….)

The で in the sentence is a [case marker which signifies place, time, means,
cause, and so
on](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%81%A7&dtype=0&dname=0ss&stype=1&pagenum=1&index=113244500000),
and in this case, it signifies means.

istrasci raised an interesting point: 日本語で (in Japanese) does not state a
means of sending a mail. Means of sending a mail include “by air mail,” “by
sea mail,” “electronically,” and so on, but “in Japanese” is a means of
_composing_ a mail, not a means of _sending_ a composed mail.

However, (手紙を/メールを)送る does not always refer to the mere action of sending an
already composed mail. It can collectively refer to the action of composing
and sending a mail. In this sense, 日本語で indeed describes a means of this
broader action.

As an aside, I note that case marker で etymologically arises from copula.
Slightly more precisely, case marker で originates from にて and copula だ
originates from にてあり, and these にて are the same thing (the combination of case
marker に and particle て). But we usually distinguish case marker で from copula
when we talk about the Japanese grammar. As dainichi wrote, _this で is no more
a connective form of copula than all で particles are_.

