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Difference between はもとより and はもちろん and their respective usage

Japanese Language Asked on December 3, 2020

I would like to know if there is some difference between はもとより and はもちろん in the sense of “let alone” , “not only … but also”.

On a side note, I would like also to know their respective usage (oral/written, normal/formal, modern/archaïc)

今の子供たちは学校はもとより塾へも通わせられている。
Children nowadays are not only forced
to go to school but also scram school.

わたしが生まれた村は、電車はもとより、バスも通っていない。
There are no buses in the village
where I was born, let alone trains.

わたしの学校は服装に厳しい。制服の着方はもちろん、ヘアスタイルやスカートの長さに至るまで注意される。
My school is
very strict about clothes. They even warn us about our hairstyle and
the length of our skirts, let alone how we wear our uniforms.

One Answer

Unless you want a very strict analysis on the differences of the two, it seems to me that both mean almost the same thing when used to mean "let alone". もちろん is used more often in speech while もとより sounds more formal/stiff and can also be used in written texts/書き言葉.

A simple google search of the difference seems to agree that the two are pretty much the same when used in this context:

hinative post
chiebukuro post
Nihongo Sensei

Correct answer by Shurim on December 3, 2020

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