Project description
Tracing Japan’s language origins
Unravelling the mysteries of ancient language migrations has long fascinated researchers, and the enigma surrounding the origins of the Japanese language is no exception. The prevailing theory suggests that Japanese was introduced to the archipelago through a series of west-to-east migrations from the Korean peninsula during prehistoric times. To shed light on this enigma, the ERC-funded JapPrehistMigration project has set out to study the tone systems of the lesser-documented Gairin dialects in Japan. By reconstructing their genealogy and deciphering the timing and interrelation of dialect splits, this project aims to unveil the prehistoric migration routes that led to the present-day distribution of this dialect group, adding unprecedented detail to our understanding of Japan's ancient linguistic history.
Objective
It is thought that the Japanese language was brought to Japan in a series of west-to-east migrations from the Korean peninsula in prehistoric times. Through fieldwork on the tone systems of a cluster of outlying and not sufficiently documented dialects in Japan (the so-called Gairin or ‘outer circle’ dialects), a genealogy of the members of this dialect group will be reconstructed.
A central question is whether the similarities between the Gairin dialects are the result of parallel developments or a common descent. If these dialects share a common descent, the next question is what the relative timing of the dialect splits is, and the degree to which the different Gairin dialects are related to each other.
The outcomes of my research project will answer these questions and put approximate dates to some of the main phonological developments. These outcomes will add unprecedented detail, based on linguistic data, to migrations that so far could only be traced through archaeology: The project will make it possible to reconstruct the prehistoric migration routes that resulted in the present-day scattered geographical distribution of this dialect group.
Study of the oldest historical records of the tone systems of this dialect type will add greater detail and time-depth to the analysis.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistoryprehistory
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabases
- humanitieslanguages and literaturelinguisticsphonology
- humanitieshistory and archaeologyarchaeology
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
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Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting GrantHost institution
44801 Bochum
Germany