330 pp. May 2008
cloth, ISBN 978-1-905246-57-1, $150.00
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Keywords: |
Japan
linguistics |
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A Linguistic History of the Forgotten Islands: A Reconstruction of the Proto-language of the Southern Ryukyus
by John R. Bentley
Languages of Asia, No. 7
Distributed for Global Oriental
Sakishima comprises a group of islands situated between Okinawa and Taiwan, forming a culturally important bridge between Japan and Taiwan. Studies of the languages of the Ryűkyűan Islands are valuable for an accurate understanding of the linguistic history of Japan as a whole. This monograph is the first attempt—in any language—at a large-scale reconstruction of the three languages of the Southern Ryűkyűs (Sakishima): Miyako, Yaeyama, and Yonaguni.
An introduction outlines a brief history of the area, with a concise linguistic history, followed by an explanation of the languages studied. Succeeding chapters are devoted to the reconstruction of each of the three proto-languages. The three proto-languages are then compared and Proto-Sakishima is reconstructed. The final chapter provides data illustrating the importance of the language of Sakishima in understanding the linguistic history of Japanese. At the back of the volume a number of appendices provide word lists upon which the reconstruction is based. illus. For sale in the U.S., its dependencies, Canada, and Mexico
John R. Bentley is Associate Professor of Japanese at Northern Illinois University. He is the author of The Authenticity of Sendai Kuji Hongi: A new Examination of Texts, with a Translation and Commentary, Historiographical Trends in Early Japan, and A Descriptive Grammar of Early Old Japanese Prose.
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