Morpheme-Based Rendaku as a Rhythmic Stabilizer in Eastern Old Japanese Poetry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4312/ala.2.1.9-22Keywords:
phonology, phonetics, Old Japanese, rendaku, poetryAbstract
This paper explores the functions of morpheme-based rendaku, or “sequential voicing”, in Eastern Old Japanese poetry, with a focus on its function of maintaining rhythmic stability in poetic verse. It is argued that this function is implemented to avoid a hypermetrical line when no adjacent vowels exist as candidates for synchronic elision. Furthermore, a comparison with synchronic vowel elision is conducted. Based on the results, it is argued that morpheme-based rendaku is preferred to synchronic vowel elision when both are available options for maintaining the rhythmic stability of a line. Linguistic constraints blocking morpheme-based rendaku are also discussed to explain hypermetrical examples with potential, yet unrealized, morpheme-based rendaku.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Aso, M. (2011). Man’yōshū zenka kōgi. Kan daijūsan ~ kan daijūyon [A commentary on all Man’yōshū poems. Books 13 ~ 14]. Tokyo: Kasama Shoin.
Beckman, J. (1998). Positional faithfulness. PhD dissertation, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Casali, R. (1997). Vowel elision in hiatus contexts: Which vowel goes? Language 73(3): 493–533.
Casali, R. (1998). Resolving hiatus. New York: Garland.
Fukuda, Y. (1965). Nara jidai Azuma hōgen no kenkyū [A study of Nara period Azuma Dialect]. Tōkyō: Kazama shoin.
Hōjō, T. (1966). Jōdai tōgoku hōgen no kenkyū [A study of the dialect of the eastern province of the ancient period]. Tōkyō: Maruzen.
Itō, H. (1997). Man’yōshū shakuchū, 7 [Man’yōshū annotated commentary, vol 7]. Tokyo: Shūeisha.
Itō, H. (1998). Man’yōshū shakuchū, 10 [Man’yōshū annotated commentary, vol 10]. Tokyo: Shūeisha.
Kupchik, J. (2011). A grammar of the Eastern Old Japanese dialects. PhD dissertation, University of Hawai’i at Manoa.
Mizushima, Y. (1972). Kōchū Man’yōshū Azuma uta Sakimori uta [Azuma songs and border guard songs from the Man’yōshū]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (1984a). Man’yōshū Azuma uta no kokugogaku-teki kenkyū [A linguistic study of the Azuma songs in the Man’yōshū]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (1984b). Man’yōshū Azuma uta honbun kenkyū narabi ni sōsakuin [Indexes to and research on the original text of Azuma songs in the Man’yōshū]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (1986). Man’yōshū zenchū. Kan dai 14. [A complete commentary on the Man’yōshū, vol. 14]. Tokyo: Yūhikaku.
Mizushima, Y. (1996). Kōchū Man’yōshū Azuma uta Sakimori uta: shin zōho kaiteiban [Azuma songs and border guard songs from the Man’yōshū: New reprint with additions and emendations]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (2003). Man’yōshū Sakimori uta zenchūshaku [A complete commentary on the Man’yōshū border guard poems]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (2005). Man’yōshū Sakimori uta no kokugogaku-teki kenkyū [A linguistic study of the Man’yōshū border guard poems]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (2009). Man’yōshū Sakimori uta no kenkyū [Research on the Man’yōshū border guard poems]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Nakanishi, S. (1981). Man’yōshū zen yakuchū genbun tsuki (san) [A complete translation of the Man’yōshū with the original text and commentary (vol. 3)]. Tokyo: Kōdansha.
Nakanishi, S. (1983). Man’yōshū zen yakuchū genbun tsuki (yon) [A complete translation of the Man’yōshū with the original text and commentary (vol. 4)]. Tokyo: Kōdansha.
Omodaka, H. (1984a). Man’yōshū chūshaku kan dai 14 [A commentary on the Man’yōshū, Book 14]. Tokyo: Chūōkōronsha.
Omodaka, H. (1984b). Man’yōshū chūshaku kan dai 20 [A commentary on the Man’yōshū, Book 20]. Tokyo: Chūōkōronsha.
Pellard, T. (2008). Proto-Japonic *e and *o in Eastern Old Japanese. Cahiers de linguistique – Asie orientale 37(2): 133–158.
Vovin, A. (2005). A descriptive and comparative grammar of Western Old Japanese – Part 1: Phonology, Script, Lexicon, and Nominals. Folkestone: Global Oriental.
Vovin, A. (2009a). A descriptive and comparative grammar of Western Old Japanese – Part 2: Adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, particles, postpositions. Folkestone: Global Oriental.
Vovin, A. (2009b). Man’yōshū to Fudoki ni mirareru fushigina kotoba to jōdai Nihon rettō ni okeru Ainu go no bunpu [Strange words in the Man’yōshū and Fudoki and the distribution of the Ainu language in the Japanese islands in prehistory]. Kyoto: Kokusai Nihon Bunka Kenkyū Sentā.
Vovin, A. (2009c). A translation of the Man’yōshū Book 15. Folkestone: Global Oriental.
Vovin, A. (2010). Koreo-Japonica. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Beckman, J. (1998). Positional faithfulness. PhD dissertation, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Casali, R. (1997). Vowel elision in hiatus contexts: Which vowel goes? Language 73(3): 493–533.
Casali, R. (1998). Resolving hiatus. New York: Garland.
Fukuda, Y. (1965). Nara jidai Azuma hōgen no kenkyū [A study of Nara period Azuma Dialect]. Tōkyō: Kazama shoin.
Hōjō, T. (1966). Jōdai tōgoku hōgen no kenkyū [A study of the dialect of the eastern province of the ancient period]. Tōkyō: Maruzen.
Itō, H. (1997). Man’yōshū shakuchū, 7 [Man’yōshū annotated commentary, vol 7]. Tokyo: Shūeisha.
Itō, H. (1998). Man’yōshū shakuchū, 10 [Man’yōshū annotated commentary, vol 10]. Tokyo: Shūeisha.
Kupchik, J. (2011). A grammar of the Eastern Old Japanese dialects. PhD dissertation, University of Hawai’i at Manoa.
Mizushima, Y. (1972). Kōchū Man’yōshū Azuma uta Sakimori uta [Azuma songs and border guard songs from the Man’yōshū]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (1984a). Man’yōshū Azuma uta no kokugogaku-teki kenkyū [A linguistic study of the Azuma songs in the Man’yōshū]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (1984b). Man’yōshū Azuma uta honbun kenkyū narabi ni sōsakuin [Indexes to and research on the original text of Azuma songs in the Man’yōshū]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (1986). Man’yōshū zenchū. Kan dai 14. [A complete commentary on the Man’yōshū, vol. 14]. Tokyo: Yūhikaku.
Mizushima, Y. (1996). Kōchū Man’yōshū Azuma uta Sakimori uta: shin zōho kaiteiban [Azuma songs and border guard songs from the Man’yōshū: New reprint with additions and emendations]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (2003). Man’yōshū Sakimori uta zenchūshaku [A complete commentary on the Man’yōshū border guard poems]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (2005). Man’yōshū Sakimori uta no kokugogaku-teki kenkyū [A linguistic study of the Man’yōshū border guard poems]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Mizushima, Y. (2009). Man’yōshū Sakimori uta no kenkyū [Research on the Man’yōshū border guard poems]. Tōkyō: Kasama Shoin.
Nakanishi, S. (1981). Man’yōshū zen yakuchū genbun tsuki (san) [A complete translation of the Man’yōshū with the original text and commentary (vol. 3)]. Tokyo: Kōdansha.
Nakanishi, S. (1983). Man’yōshū zen yakuchū genbun tsuki (yon) [A complete translation of the Man’yōshū with the original text and commentary (vol. 4)]. Tokyo: Kōdansha.
Omodaka, H. (1984a). Man’yōshū chūshaku kan dai 14 [A commentary on the Man’yōshū, Book 14]. Tokyo: Chūōkōronsha.
Omodaka, H. (1984b). Man’yōshū chūshaku kan dai 20 [A commentary on the Man’yōshū, Book 20]. Tokyo: Chūōkōronsha.
Pellard, T. (2008). Proto-Japonic *e and *o in Eastern Old Japanese. Cahiers de linguistique – Asie orientale 37(2): 133–158.
Vovin, A. (2005). A descriptive and comparative grammar of Western Old Japanese – Part 1: Phonology, Script, Lexicon, and Nominals. Folkestone: Global Oriental.
Vovin, A. (2009a). A descriptive and comparative grammar of Western Old Japanese – Part 2: Adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, particles, postpositions. Folkestone: Global Oriental.
Vovin, A. (2009b). Man’yōshū to Fudoki ni mirareru fushigina kotoba to jōdai Nihon rettō ni okeru Ainu go no bunpu [Strange words in the Man’yōshū and Fudoki and the distribution of the Ainu language in the Japanese islands in prehistory]. Kyoto: Kokusai Nihon Bunka Kenkyū Sentā.
Vovin, A. (2009c). A translation of the Man’yōshū Book 15. Folkestone: Global Oriental.
Vovin, A. (2010). Koreo-Japonica. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Downloads
Published
22. 05. 2012
Issue
Section
Research articles
License
Copyright (c) 2012 John KUPCHIK
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
KUPCHIK, J. (2012). Morpheme-Based Rendaku as a Rhythmic Stabilizer in Eastern Old Japanese Poetry. Acta Linguistica Asiatica, 2(1), 9-22. https://doi.org/10.4312/ala.2.1.9-22
