- Hardcover: 496 pages
- Publisher: RoutledgeCurzon; illustrated edition edition (28 Nov 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0700717161
- ISBN-13: 978-0700717163
- Product Dimensions: 24.6 x 16.2 x 3.2 cm
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
2,484,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #68 in Books > Languages > By Language > Japanese > Grammar & Vocabulary
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
No serious study of traditional Japanits literature, history, religion, and cultureis possible without solid knowledge of Classical Japanese. This work is the first complete description of the language of the golden Heian period (794-1185) to be published in English. It presents an innovative morphological analysis arranged so as to facilitate reference usage and at long last provides a comprehensive reference work for learners and advanced students of classical Japanese. Each linguistic aspect and function, from particles to verb forms, is described in full and illustrated with copious examples. Free of linguistic jargon, the book is accessible not only to students of the language, but also to specialists in literature, history and culture. It features introductory sections on the historical and literary background, and on writing and phonology, a cross-referenced appendix of classical Japanese verb forms, and a detailed index. Existing grammars of Classical Japanese base their descriptions on modern transliterated versions of Classical texts. This grammar is unique in being based manuscripts rather than modern editions of the texts, and it represents the language in the form that it was actually written. This grammar is a structurally oriented description of the Classical Japanese language that tries to balance proper morphemic analysis of the language based on structuralist tradition with semantically more adequate native Japanese interpretation of the grammatical categories. Classical Japanese is of considerable interest not only to Japanologists but to general linguists as well, since Japanese is one of the few modern major languages of the world that has a written history extending back for more than a thousand years. Classical Japanese is, like modern Japanese, an agglutinative language, but in sharp contrast to the modern language it has a highly synthetic grammar, particularly the very complex verbal system that has twelve moods but completely lacks tense. This volume provides a comprehensive reference grammar for scholars and students who specialise in Japanese studies and want to learn to read texts in the original script. Additionally, it is a resource for the Classical Japanese language and its linguistic characteristics for general linguists, anthropologists, and historians.
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First Sentence
In CE 784 the Japanese capital was moved from Nara to Nagaoka, and then in 794 it was moved again from Nagaoka to Heian-kyo, 'The Capital of Peace and Tranquillity', present-day Kyoto, where it was to stay for more than a thousand years until 1868 when the young Emperor Meiji moved it to Edo, present-day Tokyo. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In CE 784 the Japanese capital was moved from Nara to Nagaoka, and then in 794 it was moved again from Nagaoka to Heian-kyo, 'The Capital of Peace and Tranquillity', present-day Kyoto, where it was to stay for more than a thousand years until 1868 when the young Emperor Meiji moved it to Edo, present-day Tokyo. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
An Exemplary Reference Grammar
12 Mar 2012
Format:Hardcover
This book is an excellent description of the grammar of Classical Japanese. However, despite the claim that it is "free of linguistic jargon" (why does every grammar seem to have that on the back), Vovin is a historical linguist, and the book is actually full of jargon. While it's not so dense as to be incomprehensible, for someone without a background in linguistics, it could be slow going. It also gives an analysis of the morphology that is very different from the traditional analysis. If you want an accurate, well laid out, well presented, carefully explained, and well-sourced and evidenced linguistic description of Classical Japanese Prose, this is the book for you.
If you want to study Classical Japanese, you should not start here. Instead, come to this after you've had some Classical Japanese already and are at least comfortable with the traditional description (that means know terms like mizenkei, renyoukei, shuushikei, rentaikei, izenkei, meireikei, jodoushi,upper bi-grade, lower mono-grade, etc), and your understanding will be much enriched.
The only qualification I would make is that Vovin makes some rather strange (in my mind) claims about pronunciation that I would really like to see stronger motivation for, such as word final implosives and word-final voiced velar nasals in loanwords, and I would have liked at least a cursory discussion of accent, rather than being referred to another expensive, difficult to obtain academic work...but these are minor things, I am nitpicking at this point.
Really, if you are interested in Classical Japanese and can get this book, you should, although you probably shouldn't read it until you have a bit of background in the language, if you want to use it as a self-teaching tool. That said, if you want to know about Classical Japanese, rather than be able to read it, then this is THE book. Shame about the high price.
If you want to study Classical Japanese, you should not start here. Instead, come to this after you've had some Classical Japanese already and are at least comfortable with the traditional description (that means know terms like mizenkei, renyoukei, shuushikei, rentaikei, izenkei, meireikei, jodoushi,upper bi-grade, lower mono-grade, etc), and your understanding will be much enriched.
The only qualification I would make is that Vovin makes some rather strange (in my mind) claims about pronunciation that I would really like to see stronger motivation for, such as word final implosives and word-final voiced velar nasals in loanwords, and I would have liked at least a cursory discussion of accent, rather than being referred to another expensive, difficult to obtain academic work...but these are minor things, I am nitpicking at this point.
Really, if you are interested in Classical Japanese and can get this book, you should, although you probably shouldn't read it until you have a bit of background in the language, if you want to use it as a self-teaching tool. That said, if you want to know about Classical Japanese, rather than be able to read it, then this is THE book. Shame about the high price.
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