絶滅 and 危惧: Extinction Risk and Expressed Concern
Read extinction risk alongside an extinct animal, then compare concern voiced about a bridge and plan delays. Distinguish an event's status from the people expressing apprehension.
Risk of extinction and an extinct animal
絶滅 (ぜつめつ) means extinction. 「環境の変化で多くの生物が絶滅する恐れがある。」 — “Environmental change could drive many species to extinction.” 絶滅する恐れがある states a risk of extinction, rather than saying that the organisms have already become extinct.
「博物館で絶滅した動物の骨格を見た。」 — “At the museum, I saw the skeleton of an extinct animal.” Here 絶滅した modifies an animal that is already extinct. The object seen at the museum is its skeleton, giving this sentence a different status from the risk statement.
What residents and committee members are concerned about
危惧 (きぐ) means concern or apprehension. 「住民は古い橋の老朽化を危惧している。」 — “Residents are concerned about the deterioration of the old bridge.” Residents are the people concerned, and deterioration of the old bridge is the content of their concern.
「委員からは計画の遅れを危惧する声が上がった。」 — “Committee members voiced concern about delays in the plan.” The sentence reports committee members voicing concern about delays in the plan. Keep the past act of voicing concern distinct from a statement that a delay has already occurred.
An event's status and an attitude toward it
The 絶滅 examples distinguish a feared extinction from an animal already described as extinct. The 危惧 examples identify who is concerned and what concerns them. Read the status of the event alongside the expressed attitude.
恐れがある, 絶滅した, and 危惧する声 respectively mark risk, an extinct state, and voiced concern. The presence of concern alone does not establish that the event occurred or that it belongs to an official risk classification.
Do 「絶滅する恐れがある」, 「絶滅した動物」, and 「計画の遅れを危惧する声」 all confirm that an event occurred?
Show the answer and why
No. They respectively describe extinction risk, the state of an animal already extinct, and an attitude of concern about plan delays. Distinguish the event from the people and content of the concern; concern alone does not confirm occurrence or an official risk classification.