Study on process of Sino-Japanese reformation after the Muromachi period

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K16760
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Japanese linguistics
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: ISHIYAMA Yuji 神戸大学, 人文学研究科, 准教授 (70552884)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 日本漢字音 / 整備 / 一元化 / 呉音 / 漢音

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study shows that in the history of Sino-Japanese there was a phenomenon which can be called "reformation" and that it happened irrelevant to the phonological changes. Interaction between Go-on and Kan-on, rearrangement based on the ancient Chinese phonology and several Sino-Japanese sounds' merging into one are the case. It is believed that the existense of several Sino-Japanese levels(Go-on, Kan-on and To-in) and their being independent of each other are characteristic of the Japanese language. However, this Multi-Level system is, in fact, not as solid as it is thought. This study points out that this system is rather flexible and that "reformation" of Sino-Japanese is still continueing.

Free Research Field

日本語学