Creating a database of Yokohama pidjin and utilizing the database for researching simplified Japanese expressions

• Project/Area Number: 19520441
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese language education
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: KAISER Stefan University of Tsukuba, 大学院・人文社会科学研究科, 教授 (20260466)
• Project Period (FY): 2007 – 2009
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2009)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000); Fiscal Year 2009: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2008: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2007: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
• Keywords: 横浜ピジン / データベース化 / 簡略日本語 / ヨコハマピジン / データベース

Research Abstract

The "Yokohama Dialect", which originated around the 1860s, is the only known example of a Japanese-based pidjin. The first part of this research project consisted of creating a database of words and expressions of this pidjin from contemporary sources. The second part was an examination of the nature of this pidjin, using the data from the database. The analysis documented that this pidjin shares the nature of other pidjins, while at the same time exhibiting Japanese characteristics, such as word-order related phenomena.