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I don't know if this question is appropriate for this site or not, but I am
going to ask this question hoping for clarification.

When I hear について It feels like the declaration or introduction of something
and somehow I expect a comment (wathever it is I can understand the sentence
immediately.) but when I hear は I immediately think about it as a subject
marker.

For example

> りんごについて、食べた。 りんごは食べた。

I perceive them differently.

> りんごについて、食べた。 I declare it's about apples. I comment "Ate".  
>  Or I declare that it is regarding the apple. I comment "Ate".
>
> りんごは食べた。 I see this as apples ate. But I know that it is not correct. I know
> that it should sound something like what I hear with について.

So my question is: Is について a topic marker too?  
If in my mind I uset について instead of は, but while talking I would say は, would
make my sentence weird to someone hearing.

Example:

> 剣ほどの大きさにまで膨らんだ青白い閃光は、情け容赦なく上条(かみじょう)の首へと叩き込まれる。

When reading it like this I get lost when I see は because while subsconsciouly
I think about it as the subject marker I consciously know that it is not and I
am not sure how to perceive it.

> 剣ほどの大きさにまで膨らんだ青白い閃光について、情け容赦なく上条(かみじょう)の首へと叩き込まれる。

This feels easier for me. I literally hear it like this: It's about "The flash
of light which expanded to the dimension of a sword". I comment "Without any
mercy it is being thrust at Kamijo's neck". Or  
"The flash of light which expanded to the dimension of a sword" I declare it
regards this, The comment is "Without any mercy it is being thrust at Kamijo's
neck".

The feeling I get with について is:  
剣ほどの大きさにまで膨らんだ青白い閃光 is just an introduction and a declaration and it needs a
comment, what really matters is what I say about that
"情け容赦なく上条(かみじょう)の首へと叩き込まれる。"

1)Would it sound weird as a sentence to a native speaker if instead of は there
was について in a case like this?  
2)To you natiev speakers, does は sound kind of like について sounds to me?
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2016-12-02T10:59:22.577
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2016-12-02T18:25:32.483
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question
particle-は topic
について as a topic marker
> Is について a topic marker too?

No. On one hand は has some grammatical function as a topic marker, and on the
other hand, について doesn't.

But I think, the meaning of について is indeed somewhat close to the
interpretation of topic markers.

* * *

> 1)Would it sound weird as a sentence to a native speaker if instead of は
> there was について in a case like this?

Yes. Your example りんごについて、食べた。 can never be a natural phrase. This is because
there is no topic nor subject. Instead you can say りんごについて **は** 、食べた。 Here,
ついては is ついて + は where は is a topic marker. I feel ついては has stronger
"regardedness" than は alone.

* * *

> 2)To you native speakers, does は sound kind of like について sounds to me?

Partially yes. Sometimes は is interpreted to "introduction and comment", but
not always. This style of writing is often seen in laws. For example:

> 第百七十六条から前条までの罪の未遂 **は** 、罰する。 （[刑法
> 第一七九条](http://law.e-gov.go.jp/htmldata/M40/M40HO045.html#1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000017900000000001000000000000000000)）

Whenever I hear は, I at first think of it as marking a subject, recognizing a
topic at the same time. In most cases we don't have problem with it.

Well, as you might know, your example りんごは食べた is the same as りんごは _私が_ 食べた.
Grammatically, the subject is not りんご but 私. I, however, as a native speaker,
interpret it more like "The apple is what I ate."
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2016-12-02T18:25:32.483
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2016-12-02T18:25:32.483
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answer