といえば / というと / といったら
- 1Uses a topic as a cue to mention something typically associated with it: "speaking of ...".Ex. 1
- 2というと at the start of a sentence or on its own checks the meaning of what the other person said: "you mean ...?".Ex. 2
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All three can mean "speaking of". というと can also be used to confirm what someone said (というと？), and in conversation といったら often adds emotion or emphasis (その寒さといったら…). They are also written と言えば, と言うと and と言ったら. In conversation, 〜といえば、… is also used to pick up a topic the other person mentioned and segue into something related ("speaking of which, ...").
Do not confuse といえば with によると: によると cites a source of information (天気予報によると) and has no sense of association.
といったらない (N1) means "incredibly ..." and is a different pattern from this "speaking of".
- 1.といったらないN1「といったらない」 follows adjectives and similar words to mean an indescribable degree (寂しいといったらない); the 「といったら」 here follows a noun and means "speaking of", followed by an associated idea. The two cannot be swapped.
- 2.なぜなら / なぜかというとN3「なぜかというと」 introduces the reason for a preceding statement and often pairs with からだ; 「というと」 here brings up associations from a topic or checks what someone meant and does not give a reason.
- 3.というのはN3「というのは」 explains what a word means or gives a reason (「ODA」というのは…); 「といえば／というと」 moves from a topic to something associated with it and does not define anything.
- 4.といってもN3「といっても」 concedes the first point and then corrects an expectation the listener may have (料理ができるといっても、簡単なものだけだ); 「といえば」 simply brings up an association and has no concessive sense.
といえば / というと / といったら bring up associations from a topic, and というと can also confirm what someone meant. といったらない expresses an extreme degree, なぜかというと introduces a reason, というのは explains a word or reason, and といっても corrects an expectation.
