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Chapter 9. The Japanese inflectional paradigm in a Transeurasian perspective

  • Martine Robbeets
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Paradigm Change
This chapter is in the book Paradigm Change

Abstract

Although the genealogical relationship between Japanese and the Transeurasian languages has been a source of contention for nearly two centuries, scholars seem to agree that paradigmatic morphology could substantially help to prove relatedness. Starting from this consensus, this contribution examines whether the correlations in verb inflections between Japanese and these languages can be characterized as “paradigmatic” and whether they are more likely to result from chance or borrowing than from inheritance. For this purpose, this paper advances Transeurasian cognates for the five basic inflected forms of Japanese grammar as well as one derived stem. Taking into account internal cohesion between ordered sets of cognate forms, shared idiosyncrasies and extended relationships of grammatical patterning, the paper concludes that the correlations in verb inflections are indeed paradigmatic and more likely to be inherited than to be coincidental or borrowed.

Abstract

Although the genealogical relationship between Japanese and the Transeurasian languages has been a source of contention for nearly two centuries, scholars seem to agree that paradigmatic morphology could substantially help to prove relatedness. Starting from this consensus, this contribution examines whether the correlations in verb inflections between Japanese and these languages can be characterized as “paradigmatic” and whether they are more likely to result from chance or borrowing than from inheritance. For this purpose, this paper advances Transeurasian cognates for the five basic inflected forms of Japanese grammar as well as one derived stem. Taking into account internal cohesion between ordered sets of cognate forms, shared idiosyncrasies and extended relationships of grammatical patterning, the paper concludes that the correlations in verb inflections are indeed paradigmatic and more likely to be inherited than to be coincidental or borrowed.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of tables ix
  4. List of figures xv
  5. List of contributors xvii
  6. Acknowledgements xix
  7. Chapter 1. When paradigms change 1
  8. Part I. Paradigm change
  9. Chapter 2. On the strength of morphological paradigms 23
  10. Chapter 3. Derivational paradigms in diachrony and comparison 61
  11. Chapter 4. On arguing from diachrony for paradigms 89
  12. Chapter 5. Reconstructing the Niger-Congo Verb Extension Paradigm 103
  13. Part II. The continuation of paradigms
  14. Chapter 6. Perceived formal and functional equivalence 129
  15. Chapter 7. Comparative consequences of the tongue root harmony analysis for proto-Tungusic, proto-Mongolic, and proto-Korean 141
  16. Chapter 8. Old Japanese bigrade paradigms and Korean passives and causatives 177
  17. Chapter 9. The Japanese inflectional paradigm in a Transeurasian perspective 197
  18. Part III. The innovation of paradigms
  19. Chapter 10. A Yakut copy of a Tungusic viewpoint aspect paradigm 235
  20. Chapter 11. Amdo Altaic directives and comparatives based on the verb ‘to see’ 243
  21. Chapter 12. Innovations and archaisms in Siberian Turkic spatial case paradigms 257
  22. Chapter 13. Paradigm copying in Tungusic 287
  23. Chapter 14. Ural-Altaic 311
  24. Language index 337
  25. Subject index 343
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.161.15rob

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of tables ix
  4. List of figures xv
  5. List of contributors xvii
  6. Acknowledgements xix
  7. Chapter 1. When paradigms change 1
  8. Part I. Paradigm change
  9. Chapter 2. On the strength of morphological paradigms 23
  10. Chapter 3. Derivational paradigms in diachrony and comparison 61
  11. Chapter 4. On arguing from diachrony for paradigms 89
  12. Chapter 5. Reconstructing the Niger-Congo Verb Extension Paradigm 103
  13. Part II. The continuation of paradigms
  14. Chapter 6. Perceived formal and functional equivalence 129
  15. Chapter 7. Comparative consequences of the tongue root harmony analysis for proto-Tungusic, proto-Mongolic, and proto-Korean 141
  16. Chapter 8. Old Japanese bigrade paradigms and Korean passives and causatives 177
  17. Chapter 9. The Japanese inflectional paradigm in a Transeurasian perspective 197
  18. Part III. The innovation of paradigms
  19. Chapter 10. A Yakut copy of a Tungusic viewpoint aspect paradigm 235
  20. Chapter 11. Amdo Altaic directives and comparatives based on the verb ‘to see’ 243
  21. Chapter 12. Innovations and archaisms in Siberian Turkic spatial case paradigms 257
  22. Chapter 13. Paradigm copying in Tungusic 287
  23. Chapter 14. Ural-Altaic 311
  24. Language index 337
  25. Subject index 343
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