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SECOND PUBLIC EXAMINATION

Honour School of Oriental Studies

(Japanese)

Special Texts: Japanese Linguistics II: Linguistic Variation

TRINITY TERM 2015

Monday, June, 9.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.

Answer THREE of the questions

All questions are weighted equally.

Do not turn over until told that you may do so

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Translate the portion indicated by the arrows and into English for part A. Provide

commentary on part B.

1. A. Kindaiti, Haruhiko. 1967. Nihongo on'in no kenkyū. Tokyo: Tokyodō. Translate

the marked passage, page 172, line 13 to page 173, line 2.

B. There is a common hypothesis on the origin of dakuon consonants within some

complex words in Japanese (e.g., sakurabana (cherry-flower)) that involves the

genitive particle no and a process called "phonological reduction". How does this

help explain the development of the forms of NJ words like yuge (bow-carving) and

yonde (read.GERUND)? Explain how this reasoning fits with Kindaiti's

understanding of the question of priority between [g] and [ŋ].

2. A. Kinsui 2003. Vaachuaru Nihongo: yakuwarigo no nazo, pp. 24-26. Translate the

marked passage, page 24, line 1 to line 16.

B. Explain the processes by which of rōjin-go, which has no factual basis in natural

speech behaviour in modern Japanese, has become so persistent and pervasive in

fictional works.

3. A. Satô, Ryôichi. 2002. O-kuni no kotoba o shiru: Hôgen no chizuchô. Tokyo:

Shōgakkan. Translate the marked passage, page 337, line 11 to line 33.

B. Discuss the various social and practical factors that led to the development of the

notions of hyôzyungo and kyôtūgo with particular reference to the Japanese

language.

4. A. Suzuki, Tizu. 2001. 'Onna no tukau "otoko no kotoba", otoko no tukau "onna no

kotoba,"' in Endō, Orie (ed). 2001. Onna to Kotoba: Jugaku Akiko-san no kiju wo

kinen site, Tokyo: Akashi Shoten. Translate the marked passage, page 95, line 7 to

page 96, line 4.

B. Describe systematically the linguistic bases for the differences in how men and

women are portrayed in Japanese television dramas, relating linguistic forms and

speech situations to the biological sex and gender/sexual orientation of the speaker

as perceived by other characters.

5. A. Tanaka, Akio. 1999. Nihongo no isō to isōsa. Tokyo: Meiji Shoin. Translate the

marked passage, page 91, line 1 to line 17.

B. Starting with examples from the marked passage, discuss the nature of linguistic

variation in general and present a less simplistic approach to the problems of

language standardization than that quoted in the passage.

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