A fundamental study of linguistic modality in endangered Ryukyuan languages

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20817
• Project/Area Number (Other): 18H05611 (2018)
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund (2019); Single-year Grants (2018)
• Review Section: 0102:Literature, linguistics, and related fields
• Research Institution: Okinawa National College of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Sakihara Masashi 沖縄工業高等専門学校, 総合科学科, 講師 (30828611)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-08-24 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 琉球諸語 / モダリティ / 沖縄語 / 国頭語 / 本部町方言 / 山里方言

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the morphological study of Shuri variety of Okinawan, one-to-one description of <sentence function> and "form of predicate" is common, for example, “imperative form” in <imperative> sentences and “hortative form” in <hortative sentences> (<sentence function> is equivalent to the word 'modality'). However, the syntactic study shows that the function of <imperative> is expressed not only by sentences with “imperative form” but also sentences with other predicate forms such as “negative question" and "obligative" forms. This study describes and explicates various types of sentences of Ginowan variety of Okinawan and Yamazato, Motobu variety of Kunigami, both spoken on Okinawa Island.

Free Research Field

琉球語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本語の包括的なモダリティ研究である宮崎和人ほか（2002）『モダリティ新日本文法選書４』や日本語記述文法研究会編（2003）『現代日本語文法４モダリティ』を基礎的研究とし、姉妹言語の琉球語に属する沖縄首里方言、宜野湾方言、山里方言のモダリティについて包括的な調査と記述を実施し、琉球語のモダリティ研究の手本を示した。絶滅の危機に瀕した琉球語を普及させるために必要不可欠な文法書や辞典、教科書を作成するための基礎的研究として活用でき、学術的にも社会的にも寄与できる。