Inflexional system
Corrections, comments & additions
The year 2016 saw the publication of my book The inflexional system of Classical Japanese. It is now available in full on open access, and there are two files to choose from:
Below I have gathered some corrections and comments, but first and foremost additions to this book.
ᴀᴅᴅ page 11 [1.1. The periodisation of the history of the Japanese language], footnote 1, sub “The year 850…”
For some crucial and most persuasive arguments in favour of the mid ninth century, or the second half of it, as the borderline between Old and Classical Japanese, see: Osterkamp, Sven. 2021. The last days of Old Japanese. Early Heian gloss texts and the periodization of Japanese language history. — Studies in Asian historical linguistics, philology and beyond. Festschrift presented to Alexander V. Vovin in honor of his 60th birthday. Edited by John Kupchik, José Andrés Alonso de la Fuente, Marc Hideo Miyake. Leiden – Boston: Brill, 5‒25.
ᴄᴏʀʀ page 34 [2.6. Sources of textual examples], sub “Taketori”
for “1592” read “1570”
ᴀᴅᴅ page 63 [4.2. Conjugational groups of verbs and adjectives], footnote 33, sub “inoti ni mo…”
Note moreover the form goto-∅ ar\-, in which the Modal converb of the adjective goto- ‘similar to, resembling || podobny do, przypominający’ has no suffix at all (see chapter 7.5, p 176, and the sentence example there).
ᴀᴅᴅ page 88 [5.7. Converbium causale: -((u)r)e, -kere], sub “Momosiki ni…” & page 89, sub “↓Awo-∅꞊iro no…”
Kofisi-ki ga | kata mo kata koso | ar\-i to kik-e. | ↓Tat-er\-e wor\-e do mo, | na-ki kokoti ka na. 恋しきが方もかたこそありときけ、立てれ居をれどもなき心地こゝちかな。 (Kokin: 19. Zattei: 1024 #243) ‘I hear that in longing there are ways and there are customs. But although I stand, although I sit, I have a feeling that there aren’t any. || Słyszę, że są przecież w tęsknocie i sposoby, i zwyczaje. Ale choćbym stał, choćbym siedział, mam wrażenie, że niczego takiego nie ma.’ — The postposition koso is semantically linked to the verb ar\-i, but formally (syntactically) it affects the verb kik-e. The form tat-er\-e is not followed by any postposition, but it occurs here with exactly the same meaning as the following wor\-e do mo.
ᴄᴏʀʀ page 110 [5.14. Necessitativus: -(r)ube-], sub “[…] miti no fodo…”
for “piekna” read “piękna”
ᴄᴏʀʀ page 119 [5.17. Perfectivus II: -(i)n\-], sub “E. partly irregular consonantal verbs in n…”
for “sin\-in\-” read “sin-in\-”
ᴀᴅᴅ page 120 [5.17. Perfectivus II: -(i)n\-], sub “It should be noted…”
Faru k⟨\o⟩-in\-u to | fito fa if-e do mo | ugufisu no | nak-an-u kagir-i fa | ar-azi to zo omof-u. 春きぬと人はいへども、鶯の鳴かぬかぎりは、あらじとぞ思ふ。 (Kokin: 1. Haru I: 11 #25) ‘Although people may say that the spring has already come, I think that as long as the bush warbler [Cettia diphone] is not singing, it is probably not yet here. || Choć ludzie mówią, że już przyszła wiosna, to jak długo słowik [właśc. wierzbówka chińska, Cettia diphone] nie śpiewa, myślę, że chyba jeszcze jej nie ma.’ — The first ぬ is Perfective II + Finitive: -(i)n\-u, while the second one is Negative + Aorist: -(a)n-u.
Nomen verbale mi-n\-uraku : mi-n-aku || tasuke-n\-uraku : tasuke-n-aku
As for other categories, the Negative combines directly with the Modal converb, yielding -(a)z\-u ~ -(a)n-i, while the Perfective II is not attested in this configuration at all. On the other hand, many forms of the Negative are only possible with the extension -kar\- vel sim., whereas the Perfective II can be freely joined with a given suffix: Imperativus -(i)n\-e, Necessitativus -(i)n\-ube-, Converbium conditionale -(i)n\-aba, Praeteritum -(i)n\-ik\- ~ -(i)n\-is\-, Converbium negativum -(i)n\-ade, Imperceptivus -(i)n\-uram-, Perceptivus -(i)n\-umer\-, Suppositionalis -(i)n\-urasi, Subiunctivus -(i)n\-amas\-, Optativus -(i)n\-anamu.
ᴄᴏʀʀ page 126 [5.19. Praeteritum: -(i)k\- ~ -(i)s\-], footnote 65, sub “Hence the Aorist…”
for “chapter 5.19” read “chapter 5.26”
ᴄᴏʀʀ page 128 [5.20. Durativus: -er\- ~ -ar\-], sub “Akatuki yori…”
for “泊とままれり” read “泊とまれり”
ᴄᴏʀʀ page 133 [5.21. Converbium negativum: -(a)de], sub “Nideu no kisaki…”
for “ofas⟨\e⟩-ik\-er\-u” read “ofasimas-ik\-er\-u”
ᴀᴅᴅ page 133 [5.21. Converbium negativum: -(a)de], sub “Nideu no kisaki…”
Sakura tir-u | ko no sita kaze fa | samu-kar\-ade, | sora ni sir-ar/e-n-u | yuki zo fur-ik\-er\-u. 桜さくらちる/木このしたかせは/さむからて/空そらにしられぬ/雪ゆきそ降ふりける。 (Shūi: 1. Haru: 64 #) ‘The wind [blowing] under the trees from which cherry blossoms were scattering was not cold, so there was falling some snow unknown to the heavens. || Wiatr [wiejący] pod drzewami, z których opadały kwiaty wiśni, nie był zimny, więc padał to śnieg jakiś nieznany niebiosom.’
ᴄᴏᴍᴍ page 133 [5.21. Converbium negativum: -(a)de], sub “Kafi mo na-ki…”
For more examples of this rare combination of the Perfective and the Negative converb, including ones that contain the allomorph -in- of the former, see: Oda, Masaru 小田勝. 2017 (2015). (Jitsurei, shōkai) Koten bumpō sōran [‘A complete guide to the classical grammar (with examples and detailed explanations)’]; first edition, third impression. Ōsaka: Izumi Shoin, xiv + 737 pp (page 74 – Eiga monogatari 36: mazir-in\-ade), as well as the twenty-one imperial anthologies (e.g. Shin kokin waka shū 822: magaf-in\-ade, Shoku kokin waka shū 1139: kof/i-∅ s⟨\e⟩-in\-ade, Shin senzai waka shū 727: kafer-in\-ade &c). — Some of this information has kindly been furnished by Sven Osterkamp in personal communication.
ᴀᴅᴅ page 142 [5.25. Suppositionalis: -(r)urasi], sub “Kiedy spoglądałam…”
Titose f⟨/e⟩-uru | Matu ga Saki ni fa | mur/e-∅ ↓wi-tutu | tadu safe asob-u | kokoro ar\-urasi. 千ちとせふる/松まつかさきには/むれゐつゝつ/たつさへあそふ/心こころあるらし。 (Shūi: 10. Kagurauta: 607 #) ‘Having settled in a flock on the Cape of Pines, [pines] that will last for a thousand years, even cranes must have an urge to play. || Na Przylądku Sosen, które tysiąc lat przetrwają, gromadnie usiadłszy, żurawie nawet mają zapewne ochotę poigrać.’
ᴄᴏᴍᴍ page 165 [6. Combinations of suffixes], sub ““Kosaisyaũ no kimi…”
This sentence may also be interpreted as containing the copula ni faber\-, i.e. “…” to ni koso fa fabe[m]-mer\-it⟨/e⟩-ure [< faber-umer\-it⟨/e⟩-ure]. — The possibility has been pointed out by Sven Osterkamp in personal communication.
ᴀᴅᴅ page 181 [7.6. The independent use of the adjectival stem], sub “[…] | Iduku yo₁ri…”
Yamabuki fa | aya na-∅ na-∅ sak-iso, | fana mi-m-∅ to | uw/e-k\-em-∅ kimi ga | koyofi k\o-n-aku ni. 山吹は、あやな、な咲きそ、花見んとうゑけん君が、こよひこなくに。 (Kokin: 2. Haru II: 123 #47) ‘Let the kerria bush [Kerria japonica] not bloom without reason, for you, who have planted it to gaze at its blossoms, will not come this evening. || Niech krzew złotlinu [Kerria japonica] bez powodu nie rozkwita, gdyż ty, który go sadziłeś, by oglądać jego kwiaty, nie przyjdziesz dziś wieczór.’
ᴀᴅᴅ page 183 [8. Finding list], sub “mizenkei…”
ombinkei 音便形 phonetic reductions p 68