be also
it also is
Structure
- Noun + でもある
- な-Adj. + でもある
Just as confirmation, as I already think this is the case, this grammar is formal/written Japanese mostly, right? Not sure if I’ve heard it used much in converstions!
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@jameselias
Hey and welcome on the community forums 
Yes, you are right. である (and of course でもある) are part of Japanese form literary style. You can see those in encyclopedia records (like wikipedia articles), thesis and so on.
I hope it helps,
Cheers!
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Thank you! I’m finding that a lot of N3/N2 are formal versions of grammar that I use more naturally on an everyday basis. That certainly makes them easier to remember!
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If that’s the case, shouldn’t the 硬 symbol be on this grammar point?
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Part of literary style, not exclusively! That’s why it doesn’t have the 硬.
I’ve heard Japanese people say でもある in conversation. A teacher once told me: ‘日本人でもある私にも意味が変わらない’ When reading Murakami. It made me laugh.
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It’s very tangential but this point just now made me understand that だ is ultimately a contraction of である. である → であ → だ. Hence だった → でもあった. It’s obvious in hindsight but I don’t remember ever seeing it pointed out in the resources I’ve used.
Mind blown.