# 窺わせる



## kaven-ever

Hi.
Context: しかし、警察が少女のスマートフォンの分析を進めた結果、複数の人間の関与を窺わせるようなメッセージが残されていることが分かり、警察は少女の交友関係を捜査しました。From NHK.
What does the 窺わせる mean? According to what I have known,  窺う as a 他動詞 means to gather, infer something, and if the sentence is 複数の人間の関与を窺う, I can well understand it means "The police gathered that several persons were involved in this case from the phone's text". But what does its 使役形(窺わせる) mean here?


----------



## 810senior

窺う here means "to speculate" e.g. これを見ると、ここ最近、彼がどういう生活を送ってきたか、*窺う*ことができるだろう。

複数の人間の関与を窺わせる(＝*私達に*複数の人間が関与していたと思わせる＝複数の人間の関与が窺われる)ようなメッセージが残されたことが分かり、警察は:Since the text message left on the scene says several people were involved in this case, the police ~


----------



## OED Loves Me Not

> 複数の人間の関与を*窺わせる*ようなメッセージ


I would translate it as follows:
　　(1) messages that *suggest *the intervention of several persons
　　(2) messages that *cause people to suspect* the intervention of several persons


----------



## kaven-ever

Thanks, 810senior and OED Loves Me Not. But I'm still not clear.
What is confusing me the most is its form. First of all, 窺う is a 他動詞, so when it's turned into 使役形, I would expect the construction XXに XXを XX使役動詞, for example, 先生は生徒に本を読ませます, apparently there isn't  XXに here, neither visible one nor maybe omitted one. Secondly, according to the  窺う's meaning, as you said, it can mean suggest or speculate here, so why convert it?
I think maybe the two words are not so closely related like other verbs with their variants(so it don't have to stick to the grammar rule?), should I memorize them separately?


----------



## 810senior

Okay let's get back to the said sentence.



> 複数の人間の関与を窺わせるようなメッセージ



This is a relative clause which 複数の人間の関与を窺わせる modifies the head noun メッセージ, as you know, that sentence refers we can speculate such a thing from the text message and not the text message speculates such a thing, since the text message is quite inanimate so incapable to move into any action.

That's why the verb was converted into 使役形: the text message *made *us speculate the involvement of several persons in this case.


----------



## kaven-ever

A million thanks to you, 810senor!


----------



## frequency

Ah 窺う vs　窺わせる？The verb type differs. By changing 窺う to 窺わせる, its verb type differs.

様子を窺う, this is 'You look at/see the behaviour'.
窺わせる is much closer to show, suggest or more―yes this verb involves somebody who joins (indirect object).
Something shows (sb, indirect object: In Japanese this is often omitted) xx. 
But 様子を窺う is simpler, sb/sth (you) look at xx.

Why う vs　わせる？ We don't know at all. I recommend you to memorise both. Separately? Umm...up to you lol

Plus, see 見る vs 見せる


----------



## kaven-ever

Thanks, frequency, I just had seen somewhere 窺う was used in the same way as 窺わせる, so this why I created this thread, I will take your advice, just to remember them for now, I think more reading would help me figure this out.


----------



## frequency

Ahh...窺う is similar to 見る, because both mean that you use your eyes lol. 窺う contains the meaning of check and glimpse more. 見せる、窺わせる―both have せる―yes these verbs require somebody/something involved. Okay, feel free to ask more if you want to.


----------



## 810senior

I suppose せる is causative marker. We can find the etymology from the auxiliary verbs standing for the causative like せる, す, させる.

見る(to look)→見せる(to let someone look, to show)
窺う(to infer)→窺わせる(to let someone infer)

As you know the rule of them 見せる and 窺わせる can take two objective(someone, something) but either of them(both at times) is mostly left out.

E.g. 教科書見せて(show me a textbook) "me" is left out
私にも見せてくれない？(will you show me that thing, too?) "that thing" is left out(not written in this sentence but we know what that thing refers to)


----------



## kaven-ever

Thanks, I appreciate your effort to enlighten me. I've got it.


----------

