A Study on the Relationship Between Lexicon and Grammar in Predicate Forms in Ancient Japanese

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24520512
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese linguistics
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: NISHINA Akira 早稲田大学, 教育・総合科学学術院, 教授 (70326122)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 述語体系 / 古代日本語 / 文法変化 / 文法カテゴリ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I examined the following three points. The first was the clarification of the positions of predicate forms in Ancient Japanese, which have been unclear in previous studies. I suggested two broad groups of predicate forms in Ancient Japanese; of these, one type (related to aspect and the perfect forms) has a strong relationship (indeed, a historical and fundamental continuity) with verb endings, showing a commonality between forms that is related to voice. The second was the examination of the current state of studies on "grammaticalisation" of predicate forms. I examined the problem of the relationship between changes in meaning and the whole predicate system, with a focus on "-keri". The third was the examination of the issue of the basic form of verbs. I performed an investigation into the understanding of this in order to obtain an insight into their relationship with the breadth of uses of aspectual forms ("-tsu" and "-nu").

Free Research Field

日本語学・日本語史