76319
I've been using Bunpro to review grammar and came across the following example
sentence:

外国人だけど、着物を着る______、日本人みたいになった。

The site is looking for だけで (just by) as the answer, which I understand in
hindsight. However, my initial answer was ばかりに.

Does this answer also make sense? If so, is there a difference in meaning or
connotation between the two?
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2020-03-31T23:43:31.643
76311
2020-04-01T07:46:45.337
25783
question
word-choice word-usage
Just by: だけで vs ばかりに
It doesn't make sense. Dictionaries say that
ただそれだけの原因・理由で、事態が悪化するような結果が導かれることを表す. For example,
「ちょっと油断をしたばかりに、とんでもないことになってしまった」 「ちょっと口をすべらしたばかりに、すっかり怒らせてしまった」.

If the speaker doesn't like to be seen as a Japanese. 外国人だけど、着物を着 **た**
ばかりに、日本人みたいになった makes sense.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-01T07:37:56.880
76318
2020-04-01T07:37:56.880
7320
76311
answer
They are very different.

  * `A だけで B`: _B just by/with/using A_ (quite straightforward) 
    * cf. `A だけに B`: _B, true to its (name, form, nature, reputation...) being A_
  * `A(-u)ばかりに B`: _so much A that B [some ironical result]_
    * cf. `A(-ta)ばかりに B` _B [unexpected result] merely due to A_
    * cf. `A(-u)ばかりで`: _only to A; only keep doing A_
      * cf. `A ばかりで B`: usually a negative comment of the speaker in B, or a formula `B' しない` to say _do all times A and nothing B'_

So, only だけで makes sense here.

Further:

  * [Meaning of “だけに”](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/54611/7810)
  * [plain form + bakari vs. te form + bakari](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/65429/7810)
  * [「ばかりに」についての文法の質問です。教えてください](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/59981/7810)
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-01T07:46:45.337
76319
2020-04-01T07:46:45.337
7810
76311
answer