といえば ・いったら・というと - Grammar Discussion

Grammar Points
#1

speaking of
if it were the case that

Structure

  • Noun + というと
  • Noun + といえば
  • Noun + といったら

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#2

Can the noun before といえば or its variations be dropped? So instead of saying
B：アメリカの有名人といえばトム・クルツは知っているの？,

could you just say
B：といえばトム・クルツは知っているの？,

so as not to need to restate the subject over and over?

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#3

Hey :grinning:

I have seen it used like this few times, but そういえば is far more common and natural. :+1:

そういえば トム・クルツは知っているの？

Cheers :+1:

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#4

According to Edawakaru, there is a nuance to というと and といえば in that といえば can’t be used for questions about the topic while というと can. So maybe that should be added to the reading, or a Japanese Stack Exchange question answering the same thing.

Also, is there a known difference between といったら and the others?

#5

It’s because you’re no longer guessing or setting up a conditional/hypothetical. It’s very similar to the rules used to ‘respect’ これ・それ・あれ.

The nuance between といったら・というと・といえば inherit their respective conditional’s nuance.

This very same reason is why you can’t use といえば in conversation as the resource you pointed out states, as と forebodes a 100% likely event in terms of conditional. といえば・といたら give t a softer tone as they’re less ‘definitive’ conditionals, といえば being softer.

Hope this helps! I’ve added your resource to the Grammar Point!

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