Description
Book SynopsisThe Omoro Sōshi (1531–1623) is an indispensable resource for historical linguistic comparison of Old Okinawan with other Ryukyuan languages and Old Japanese. Leon A Serafim and Rumiko Shinzato offer a reference grammar, including detailed phonological analyses, of the otherwise opaque and dense poetic/religious language of the Omoro Sōshi. Meshing Western linguistic insight with existing literary/linguistic work in Ryukyuan studies, and incorporating their own research on Modern Okinawan, the authors offer a grammar and phonology of the Omoro language, with selected (excerpts of) songs grammatically analyzed, phonologically reconstructed, translated, and annotated.
Table of ContentsPreface List of Figures and Tables Abbreviations and Conventions 1 Introduction 1 What is the Omoro Sōshi? 2 Types of omoro 3 Versions 4 Song Structure 5 Overview of the Omoro Language 2 Spelling System and Phonology 1 Introduction 2 Reconstruction Methodology 3 Suprasegmentals 4 Consonants 5 Processes 6 Meter in Omoros 7 The Question of External Evidence and Its Relation to That Presented Here 8 Coda 3 Lexicon 1 PJ Origin 2 Loans from MJ 3 Loans from Sino-Japanese 4 Loans from Korean 5 Origins Unknown 6 Mishōgo (MO, Meanings Obscure) 4 Nominals 1 Nouns 2 Pronouns 3 Numerals 4 Nominal Prefixes 5 Nominal Suffixes 5 Adjectives 1 What is an Adjective? 2 Evolution of Adjectives 3 Functional Differences between/among Types 4 Functions as Modifiers, Predicates, or Noun Formatives 6 Verbs 1 Conjugation Types 2 History of Conjugational Merger: ra-gyō yodan-ka 3 Functional Split (mz) 4 Development of the Gerund 7 Auxiliaries 1 Passive/Exalting/Spontaneous -ari(·r)- ~ -uyi(·r)- 2 Causative/Exalting -as- 3 Negative -azɨ ~ -aɴ ~ -an- 4 Negative -adana 5 The Optative/Counterfactual Auxiliary -(a)masyi 6 Inference/Intention: -aɴ, -a, and -ami 7 Negative Inferential/Intentional -umazyi 8 Past -syi 9 Perfect -t˚ar-, -c˚yar-, -dar-, -ʣyar- 10 Emphatic Locative: -ʔac˚ɨr-u 11 Progressive: -ur- 12 Progressive/Perfective -yaaryi 13 Copula: -yar-, -nar- 14 The Exalting Auxiliary Verb -(u)wa·r/s- 15 Humilific Auxiliary -abir- 16 Humilific Auxiliary tʰat°imac°ɨr- References Index
