18098
This quesion:

[と言っても vs とは言え
.](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/2030/%e3%81%a8%e8%a8%80%e3%81%a3%e3%81%a6%e3%82%82-vs-%e3%81%a8%e3%81%af%e8%a8%80%e3%81%88)

reminded me of a similar case:

> どっちにしても vs どっちにしろ

which are also synonymous as far as I can tell.

That got me thinking:

Is this coincidental? Are there other cases where the imperative is used
instead of the conditional formulation? Has this replacement ever been
productive?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-12T03:44:26.153
6471
2014-08-03T01:27:24.150
2017-04-13T12:43:48.447
-1
1073
question
grammar etymology imperatives
Imperative used instead of conditional form
`とは言え` and `どっちにしろ` are not imperative(命令形).

> どっちにしても vs どっちにしろ

`どっち` is an informal way to say `どちら`. `どちらにしても` is `どちらに(したと)しても`. `どちらにしろ`
is `どちらにすれども`. Similarly, `とは言え` is `とは言えども`.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-23T08:28:58.973
6897
2012-09-23T08:28:58.973
1720
6471
answer
What about ～であれ～であれ and ～といい～といい?

Oh, there's also ～にせよ～にせよ, but it's just a more 堅い version of ～にしろ～にしろ (which
in turn is more 堅い than ～にしても～にしても)
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-07-03T22:32:00.217
17648
2014-07-03T22:32:00.217
2972
6471
answer
This is a remnant of the Classical Japanese form named
「[命令形]{めいれいけい}の[放任法]{ほうにんほう}」. 命令形 means "imperative form",
放任、”noninterference”, "permission", etc. and 法, "rule".

Native speakers, young or old, still use the 命令形の放任法 on a daily basis, but
very few Japanese-learners seem to be able use it actively.

In short, the nuance of this form is "Do as you like." 「どっちにしろ（or せよ）」 means
"whichever you take/choose" and the speaker could not care less which one
someone selects.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-03T01:27:24.150
18098
2014-08-03T01:27:24.150
6471
answer