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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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