The Japanese Language in the Pacific Region

Daniel Long, Keisuke Imamura

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9781032501444
• eBook ISBN: 9781040097052
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Long and Imamura examine language contact phenomena in the Asia Pacific region in the context of early 20th-century colonial history, focusing on the effects the Japanese language continues to have over island societies in the Pacific.

Beginning in the early 20th century when these islands were taken over by the Japanese Empire and continuing into the 21st century, the book examines 5,150 Japanese-origin loanwords used in 14 different languages. It delves into semantic, phonological, and grammatical changes in these loanwords that form a fundamental part of the lexicons of the Pacific Island languages, even now in the 21st century. The authors examine the usage of Japanese kana for writing some of the local languages and the pidginoid phenomena of Angaur Island. Readers will gain a unique understanding of the Japanese language's usage in the region from colonial times through the post-war period and well into the current century.

Researchers, students, and practitioners in the fields of sociolinguistics, language policy, and Japanese studies will find this book particularly useful for the empirical evidence it provides regarding language contact situations and the various Japanese language influences in the Asia Pacific region. The authors also offer accompanying e-resources that help to further illustrate the examples found in the book.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• 1 Introduction
• 2 The Historical Background of Japanese Usage in Palau
• 3 Place Names of Japanese Origin in Nan’yō
• 4 People’s Names of Japanese Origin in Palau
• 5 Linguistic Landscapes and Japanese Loanwords
• 6 Quantitative Research Into Japanese Loanwords
• 7 Phonological Adaptations in Japanese Loanwords
• 8 Semantic Changes in Japanese Loanwords
• 9 Grammatical Changes in Japanese Loanwords
• 10 Socio-Historical Analysis of Japanese Loanwords
• 11 Retention Rates of Japanese Loanwords
• 12 Phonological Changes Across Generations in Japanese Loanwords
• 13 Language Policy and Spelling Reforms in Japanese Loanwords
• 14 Katakana Usage in Nan’yō and Other Japanese Colonies
• 15 Pidginoid Japanese in Angaur
• 16 Official Language Status of Japanese in Angaur
• 17 Welfare Linguistics and the Japanese Loanword Dictionary
• Index