100768
I would translate this sentence

> 日本の昔話は代表的なものだけで、２，３百はあります。

as "Japanese folktales has about 200, 300 as only representative of it". My
question is does で after だけ mean that the noun before it acts as a tool for
the proceding sentence?

My translation is awkward but I think that that's what the sentence mean. Is
my translation correct? Or is there a better way to translate it and what is
that better way? Also how do I factor "de" in translating this sentence?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-08-23T11:09:17.983
100767
2023-08-23T11:33:58.620
57016
question
nuances particle-で
Does で in this sentence 「日本の昔話は代表的なものだけで、２，３百はあります。」 mean that the noun before it is a tool for the proceding sentence?
Your translation does seem awkward to me, so let's check what it means first:

  * 日本の昔話は二、三百あります。  
There are 200 to 300 Japanese folktales.

  * 日本の昔話は二、三百 **は** あります。  
There are **at least** 200 or 300 Japanese folktales.

  * 日本の昔話は **代表的なものだけで** 二、三百はあります。  
**Counting only the major ones** , there are at least 200 or 300 Japanese
folktales.

The particle で after 代表的なものだけ is a **scope/condition** marker rather than a
method marker. It marks the condition for the following expression to hold
true. Similar examples include:

  * **合計で** 30人います。  
There are 30 people **in total**.

  * **最大で** 3万円かかります。  
It will cost **up to** 30,000 yen.

  * **追加で** 50個注文しました。  
I ordered **additional** 50 units.

  * **今日だけで** 単語を100個覚えました。  
**Today alone** , I learned 100 words.

  * **ある意味で** 興味深い。  
It's interesting **in one sense**.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all English expression that
corresponds to this type of で, so you'll need to get used to them
individually.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-08-23T11:24:13.010
100768
2023-08-23T11:33:58.620
2023-08-23T11:33:58.620
5010
5010
100767
answer