The Languages of Japan and Korea provides detailed descriptions of the major varieties of languages in the region, both modern and pre-modern, within a common format, producing a long-needed introductory reference source. Korean, Japanese, Ainu, and representative members of the main groupings of the Ryukyuan chain are discussed for the first time in great detail in a single work.
The volume is divided into language sketches, the majority of which are broken down into sections on phonology, orthography, morphology, syntax and lexicon. Specific emphasis is placed on aspects of syntactic interest, including speech levels, honorifics and classifiers. Each language variety is represented in Roman-based transcription, although its own script (where there is such orthography) and IPA transcriptions are used sparingly where appropriate.
The dialects of both the modern and oldest forms of the languages are given extensive treatment, with a primary focus on the differences from the standard language.
These synchronic snapshots are complemented by a discussion of both the genetic and areal relationships between languages in the region.
With contributions from a variety of scholars of the highest reputation, The Language of Japan and Korea is a much needed and highly useful tool for professionals and students in linguistics, as well as area studies specialists.
1.
Introduction 15 Editor
2.Proto-Japanese-Korean 25 John Whitman (Cornell University)
3. Old Korean 10 Response awaited
4. Middle Korean 40 S. Robert Ramsey (subject to timetable) (University of Maryland)
5. Modern Korean 40 Young-key Kim-Renaud (subject to timetable) (George Washington University)
6. Korean dialects 20 Ross King (University of British Columbia)
7. Old Japanese 30 Nicolas Tranter (University of Sheffield)
8. Early Middle and Classical Japanese 40 Thomas E. McAuley (University of Sheffield)
9. Late Middle Japanese 30 Bjarke Frellesvig (Oxford University)
10. Modern Japanese 40 Response awaited
11. Japanese dialects 20 Akiko Matsumori (Japan Women’s University) and Takuichiro Ohnishi (National Japanese Language Research Institute)
12. Northern Ryukyuan 35 Leon Serafim (University of Hawai‘i)
13. Southern Ryukyuan 35 Wayne Lawrence (University of Auckland)
14. Yonaguni 35 Response awaited
15. Classical and Modern Ainu 40 Osami Okuda (Sapporo Gakuin University)
16. Areal Relations and Contact Issues 30 Nicolas Tranter (University of Sheffield)
17. Japanese and Korean Overseas 10 To be allocated
18. Transcription Systems 5 Editor
Bibliography
Total (before index):
500
Biography
Dr Tranter teaches modern Japanese language, classical Japanese language and literature, and East Asian linguistics at the University of Sheffield. His research interests are East Asian linguistics, specifically contact/historical linguistics, script, and syntax.
