41084
In this paragraph:

> 今から約20年前、携帯電話は日本ではほとんど普及していなかった。
> **当時小学生だった私が、憧れていたもの、それは携帯電話ではなく、ポケットベルだった。**

  1. Does this paragraph look natural for a native to write?
  2. What does もの mean in 憧れていたもの? Is it talking about a physical thing?
  3. In それは携帯電話ではなく, why is ではなく an adverb, why not ではない(verb)?
  4. Does the bold part translate to: "At that time I was a student but, there was a thing I wanted, that thing wasn't a cellphone, it was a pocket bell."
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-22T03:01:35.170
41083
2016-11-22T04:14:08.047
2016-11-22T04:14:08.047
9831
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question
translation syntax
「～もの、それは…」 Atypical sentence structure?
1. Yes it's perfectly natural.
  2. Yes it's 物, a physical "thing."
  3. This なく is a 連用形 (continuative form) of ない, and it can join two clauses. See: [なく vs. なくて and stem form vs. てform as conjunctions](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/2934/5010) and [Connecting phrases with the stem of masu-form](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/6412/5010)
  4. The literal translation would be as follows. Don't be deceived by the first comma; that が is the subject marker. See: [Reason for placing a comma between the subject and verb in this simple independent clause?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/27397/5010) In this case the comma was inserted simply because the subject part (当時小学生だった私) is a bit long. 

> 【｛（当時小学生だった→）私が憧れていた→ ｝もの 】、それは携帯電話ではなくポケットベルだった。  
>  The thing I, who was an elementary school student at that time, longed for
> -- that was not a cell phone but a pocket bell.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-22T03:43:03.903
41084
2016-11-22T03:48:34.707
2017-04-13T12:43:44.863
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answer
1.Does this paragraph looks natural for a native to write?  
Yes. There is nothing wrong with this sentence.

2.What does もの mean in 憧れていたもの? Is it talking about a physical thing?  
Yes. もの can be translated exactly as a "physical thing".  
<http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/je/75561/meaning/m1u/%E3%82%82%E3%81%AE/>

3.In それは携帯電話ではなく, why is ではなくand adverb, why not ではない(verb)  
According to "A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar", page 211:  
なく: a continuative form of ない used in written Japanese (to indicate a
reason/cause for what follows if ない is attached to adjective) and contrast if
it is attached to noun+copula.  

Instead of なく you can also say なくて. Te-form is also used as a continuative
form.  
ではない can only be used at the end of the sentence or before a noun.

4.Does the bold part translate to: "At that time I was a student but, there
was a thing I wanted, that thing wasn't a cellphone, it was a pocket bell."  
当時小学生だった私が、憧れていたもの、それは携帯電話ではなく、ポケットベルだった。  
I, who was a primary student at that time, was in love not with cell phones,
but with beepers.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-22T03:53:51.573
41085
2016-11-22T03:53:51.573
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answer