Full Description
The Omoro Sōshi (1531-1623) is an indispensable resource for historical linguistic comparison of Old Okinawan with other Ryukyuan languages and Old Japanese. Leon A Serafim and Rumiko Shinzato offer a reference grammar, including detailed phonological analyses, of the otherwise opaque and dense poetic/religious language of the Omoro Sōshi.
Meshing Western linguistic insight with existing literary/linguistic work in Ryukyuan studies, and incorporating their own research on Modern Okinawan, the authors offer a grammar and phonology of the Omoro language, with selected (excerpts of) songs grammatically analyzed, phonologically reconstructed, translated, and annotated.
Contents
Preface
List of Figures and Tables
Abbreviations and Conventions
1 Introduction
1 What is the Omoro Sōshi?
2 Types of omoro
3 Versions
4 Song Structure
5 Overview of the Omoro Language
2 Spelling System and Phonology
1 Introduction
2 Reconstruction Methodology
3 Suprasegmentals
4 Consonants
5 Processes
6 Meter in Omoros
7 The Question of External Evidence and Its Relation to That Presented Here
8 Coda
3 Lexicon
1 PJ Origin
2 Loans from MJ
3 Loans from Sino-Japanese
4 Loans from Korean
5 Origins Unknown
6 Mishōgo (MO, Meanings Obscure)
4 Nominals
1 Nouns
2 Pronouns
3 Numerals
4 Nominal Prefixes
5 Nominal Suffixes
5 Adjectives
1 What is an Adjective?
2 Evolution of Adjectives
3 Functional Differences between/among Types
4 Functions as Modifiers, Predicates, or Noun Formatives
6 Verbs
1 Conjugation Types
2 History of Conjugational Merger: ra-gyō yodan-ka
3 Functional Split (mz)
4 Development of the Gerund
7 Auxiliaries
1 Passive/Exalting/Spontaneous -ari(·r)- ‾ -uyi(·r)-
2 Causative/Exalting -as-
3 Negative -azɨ ‾ -aɴ ‾ -an-
4 Negative -adana
5 The Optative/Counterfactual Auxiliary -(a)masyi
6 Inference/Intention: -aɴ, -a, and -ami
7 Negative Inferential/Intentional -umazyi
8 Past -syi
9 Perfect -t˚ar-, -c˚yar-, -dar-, -ʣyar-
10 Emphatic Locative: -ʔac˚ɨr-u
11 Progressive: -ur-
12 Progressive/Perfective -yaaryi
13 Copula: -yar-, -nar-
14 The Exalting Auxiliary Verb -(u)wa·r/s-
15 Humilific Auxiliary -abir-
16 Humilific Auxiliary tʰatoimacoɨr-
References
Index



