Goals for a comparative and etymological dictionary of Japonic languages

The following is a list of goals I want to achieve for creating an comparative and etymological dictionary of Japonic languages.

• Based off the UniCog framework, with some additions
• Translations of the meanings into English
  
• Give a basic cognate set and proto-form reconstructions (proto-Ryukyuan and proto-Japonic)
• Give a list of historical attestations in Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Early Modern Japanese, Old Okinawan, Middle Okinawan

Bibliography

Note: This list may be incomplete.

(If a text is marked in red, it means I do not have the resource at hand at the moment.)

• Hattori, Shirō. 2018. 日本祖語の再建 [Reconstruction of Proto-Japanese]. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten.
• Hirayama, Teruo. 1960. 全国アクセント辞典 [National Accent Dictionary]. Tokyo: Tokyodō.
• Hirayama, Teruo. 1964. 琉球与那国方言の研究 [A Study of Yonaguni dialect in Ryukyuan]. Tokyo: Tokydō.
• Hirayama, Teruo. 1966. 琉球方言の総合的研究 [General study of Ryukyu Dialects]. Tokyo: Meiji Shoin.
• Hirayama, Teruo. 1966. 琉球先島方言の総合的研究 [General study of Ryukyu Sakishima Dialects]. Tokyo: Meiji Shoin.
  
• Hirayama, Teruo. 1986. 奄美方言の基礎語彙の研究 [Study of Basic Vocabulary in Amami Dialects]. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten.
• Hirayama, Teruo. 1992-1994. 現代日本語方言大辞典 [Dictionary of Japanese Dialects]. 8 volumes. Tokyo: Meiji Shoin.
• Hokama, Shuzen. 1995. 沖縄古語大辞典 [Dictionary of Archaic Okinawan]. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten.
• Jodai-go Jiten Henshū I'inkai. 1967. 時代別国語大辞典・上代編 [Historical Japanese Dictionary: Nara-era Japanese]. Tokyo: Sanseidō.
• Kiku, Chiyo; Takahashi, Toshizō. 2005. 与論方言辞典 [Yoron Dialect Dictionary]. Tokyo: Musashinoshoin.
• Kindaichi, Haruhiko. 1974. 国語アクセントの史的研究・原理と方法 [Historical Study of Japanese Accent: Principles and Methods] Tokyo: Hanawa Shobō.
• Maeara, Tōru. 2011. 竹富方言辞典 [Taketomi Dialect Dictionary]. Ishigaki: Nanzansha.
• Martin, Samuel E. 1987. The Japanese Language Through Time. New Haven: Yale University Press.
  
• Miyagi Shincho. 2003. 石垣方言辞典 [Ishigaki Dialect Dictionary]. 2 volumes. Naha: Okinawa Times.
• Nakamoto, Masachie. 1981. 図説琉球語辞典 [Carthographic Dictionary of Ryukyuan]. Tokyo: Rikitomi Shobo.
• Nakasone, Seizen. 1983. 沖縄今帰仁方言辞典 [Okinawa Nakijin Dialect Dictionary]. Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten.
  
• Osada, Suma; Suyama, Nahoko. 1977-1980. 奄美方言分類辞典 [Thematic Dictionary of Amami Dialect]. 2 volumes. Tokyo: Kasama Shoin.
• Oshio, Mutsuko. 1999. 沖縄伊江島方言辞典 [Okinawa Ie-jima Dialect Dictionary]. 2 volumes. Ie-son: Ie-son Kyōiku-I'inkai.
• Shōgakukan Kokugo Jiten Henshūbu. 2000-2002. 日本国語大辞典・第二版 [Unabridged Japanese Dictionary: Second edition]. 15 volumes. Tokyo: Shōgakukan.
  
• Shōgakutosho. 1989. 日本方言大辞典 [A Big Dictionary of Japanese Dialects]. 3 volumes. Tokyo: Shōgakukan. 
  
• Tomihama, Sadayoshi. 2013. 宮古伊良部方言辞典 [Miyako Irabu Dialect Dictionary]. Naha: Okinawa Times.
  
• Uchima, Chokujin; Arakaki, Kumiko. 2000. Ryūkyū Hokubu Nanbu no Kikjutsu-teki Kenkyū [Descriptive Study of North and South Ryukyuan dialects]. Tokyo: Kasama Shobo.
• Uwano, Zendō. 1992. 喜界島方言の体言のアクセント資料 [The accent of nouns in Kikai-jima dialects]. Ajia Afurika Bunpō Kenkyū 21. 41-160.
• Uwano, Zendō. 1996. 名瀬芦花部・有良方言の名詞のアクセント体系 [Tonal system of Naze Ashikebu/Arira dialects]. Tōkyō Daigaku Gengo-gaku Ronshū 15. 3-68.
• Uwano, Zendō. 1998. 沖永良部諸方言体言のアクセント資料 [The accent of nouns in Okinoerabu dialects]. Ajia Afurika Bunpō Kenkyū 27. 131-262.
  
• Whitman, John. 1985. The Phonological Basis for the Comparison of Japanese and Korean. Cambridge: Harvard University Press (doctoral dissertation).
• Yonaguni Hōgen Jiten Henshū I'inkai (2021) どぅなんむぬい辞典　第二版 [Dunanmunui Dictionary: Second Edition]. Yonaguni-chō: Yonaguni-chō Kyōiku I'inkai.
  

Why is there a lack of initial high vowels in Japonic high register?

While looking at Igarashi (2019)'s JR-COGNATES list UniCog, I noticed that most of the disyllabic high register nouns go back to initial pJ vowel *e, *o, *a, and *ə, but rarely the high vowels *i and *u. This could provide some internal evidence for Proto-Japonic *e and *o in some words otherwise unrecoverable by the comparative method. This is because there is high register nouns such as pR *medu 'water' (< pJ *meNtu 2.1 'id.'), others.

Revisiting some more Koreo-Japonic comparisons with Ryukyuan

Vovin (2010) rejects Koreo-Japonic comparisons by Whitman (1985), although a closer look shows Ryukyuan cognates exist, most of them amply attested.

(114) kasa 2.4 'sunshade; hat (alias 'conical hat')'. While Vovin claims that kasa is not attested in Southern Ryukyuan, it is important to know that the meanings might have been mixed: Northern Ryukyuan cognates such as Yamatohama kʰasa, Aden, Yoron hàsá, Asama kʰàɕǎː, Kametsu kàsâ, Wadomari, China hàsǎː, Iheya hásǎː, Nakijin, Iejima hàsǎː, and Shuri kàsà mostly have a meaning of both 'conical hat' and 'umbrella' (otherwise, only the former meaning). Meanwhile Sakishima forms such as Hirara , Uruka sana, Ikema, Minna sana C, Tarama ɕana C, Ishigaki sáná, Taketomi sənə, Hatoma sànà, Hateruma sḁ́ná, and Yonaguni sànâ, only have the meaning 'umbrella', which is probably a loan from Chinese 傘 (c.f. MC sanX, Mandarin san3), although we need to explain the epenthetic vowel *-a, and some dialects are including the meaning 'conical hat'. Compare also the Late Middle Okinawan term mi-saanaa (みさあなあ) 'HON-umbrella', which must be related. Meanwhile, we can find ample cognates of J kasa 2.3 in Sakishima, meaning only 'conical hat': Hirara kasa, Tarama kaɕa B, Minna kasa B, Ishigaki kásá, Taketomi kə̀sə̂, Hatoma kḁ̀sà, Hateruma kḁ́tsá, Yonaguni kʰàsà. This allows the reconstruction of Proto-Ryukyuan *kasa B and Proto-Japonic *kasa 2.4b 'conical hat'. Note that kasa meaning 'umbrella' was not attested until at least the 10th century CE, and the meaning 'umbrella' has been due to influence from Japanese, since kasa in Modern Japanese refers both to 'conical hat' and 'umbrella'.

(141) kusi 2.3 'stake (alias 'skewer'). It is unclear why Igarashi assigned an uncertain accent 2.Xx (a paper will be made dealing with (more of) these issues in the future), as the modern accent Tokyo LH-L, Kyoto HL-L, and Kagoshima LH-L points to tone class 2.3, and even Martin (1987, 466) reconstructs tone class 2.3 on the basis of such data and other extra data. The irregular accent in dialects can be safely ignored. It is also unclear why he also glossed the word with 'whip', as my survey of Ryukyuan cognates do not have this meaning. It is possible to find various Ryukyuan varieties that are a cognate of J kusi 2.3 'skewer': Ashikebu gúɕì 'thin skewer', Yamatohama gui 'skewer', Asama gùːsɨ́ 'skewer', Kunigami, Wa, Taniyama, China, Ōtsukan, Sumiyoshi gùɕí 'skewer', Ōjiro gùɕî 'skewer', Shinjō déːgúɕí 'bamboo skewer', Yoron gúɕí 'skewer', Nakijin gúɕì 'skewer', Iejima gúɕî 'skewer', Kowan guːɕi 'skewer', Shuri gùːɕì 'skewer', Tarama, Minna gusɨ C 'skewer', Taketomi təi-guɕi 'bamboo skewer', Hatoma gúí 'marks in a water channel'. The voicing process is similar to that of pR *garasu C 'crow' < pJ *karasu 3.6a 'id,' so words starting with initial k- are considered loanwords, and thus have been ignored (e.g. Yonaguni kùtɕí 'skewer (uncommon word)' (c.f. also Yonaguni ìgûɴ 'harpoon'); we expect *gùtɕî). See also Martin (1987, 29-30). We can reconstruct pR *gusi C 'skewer' and pJ *kus(U)i 2.3a 'id.' Note that this word belongs to a limited set of nouns where Ryukyuan tone class C corresponds to the 2.3 accent class in Japanese. Martin also compares kusu-nuk- I-N 'to skewer', despite accent incongruency that was also noticed by him. Compare also kusumoᵑgi (JDB, 259), which some assume to be a mispelling of kusu-nuk- above. If this is a loan from Korean(ic), it must be a rather old one.

(249) mara 2.3 'phallus'. This word is attested plentiful in Ryukyuan, sometimes in compounds only; e.g. Yamatohama, Aden, Uruka maɾa 'penis', Asama màɾǎː 'penis', Kametsu màɾâ 'penis', Wadomari, China màɾá 'penis', Nakijin màɾàːdáí 'penis with erectile dysfunction', Shuri màɾà 'penis', Ikema, Tarama maɾa B 'penis', Nakachi maɾa 'penis; sprout poured into a teapot; a protruding object, a sharp tool' Ishigaki máɾá 'penis', Taketomi məɾə 'penis', Hatoma màɾà 'penis', Hateruma màɾá 'penis', Yonaguni màɾà 'penis'. Dictionaries which do not include this word use pR *tane B 'seed' or pR *puguri A 'testicles'. It is unclear whether this can be reconstructed at the Proto-Japonic level, as there is a theory that it was derived as a transcription of a Sanskrit word (possibly through the introduction of Buddhism by Paekche). If this is the case, then it must have been an earlier loan, considering how pR *potoke B 'Buddha' and *tera A 'temple; shrine' can be reconstructed, and J potoke 3.4 and tera 2.x (irregular accent; Tokyo and Kyoto go to 2.3, but Kagoshima goes back to 2.1/2.2, and pR shows 2.1/2.2) are likely loanwords from an ancient Koreanic language.

 Bibliography

• Hattori, Shiro. 2018. Nihon-sogo no Saiken [Reconstruction of Proto-Japanese]. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten.
• Hirayama, Teruo. 1986. Amami Hōgen Kiso Goi no Kenkyuu [A Study of the Basic Vocabulary of Amami Dialects]. Tokyo: Kadokawa.
• Hirayama, Teruo; et al. 1992. Gendai Nihongo Hōgen Daijiten [Dictionary of Japanese Dialects]. Tokyo: Meiji Shoin.
  
• Kiku, Chiyo; Takahashi, Toshizo. 2005. Yoron Hōgen Jiten. Tokyo: Musashinoshoin.
• Kokuritsu Kokugo Kenkyuu-jo. 2001. Okinawa-go Jiten [Okinawan Dictionary].
• Martin, Samuel E. 1987. The Japanese Language through Time. New Haven: Yale University Press.
• Maeara, Tōru. 2011. Taketomi Hōgen Jiten [Taketomi Dialect Dictionary]. Ishigaki: Nanzansha.
  
• Miyagi, Shinyuu. 2003. Ishigaki Hōgen Jiten [Ishigaki Dialect Dictionary]. Okinawa: Okinawa Times.
  
• Omodaka, Histaka. 1967. Jidai-betsu Kokugo Daijiten (Jōdai-hen) [Dictionary of Historical Japanese: Old Japanese]. Tokyo: Sanseido.
• Osada, Suma; Suyama, Nahoko. 1977-1980. Amami Hōgen Bunrui Jiten [Classified Dictionary of Amami Dialect]. Tokyo: Meiji Shoin.
• Tokuyama, Shunei; Celik, Kenan. 2020. Minami Ryuukyuu Miyako-go Tarama Hōgen Jiten [Dictionary of the Tarama dialect of Miyako, Southern Ryukyuan]. Tokyo: Kokuritsu Kenkyuu-jo
  
  Gengo Hen'i Kenkyū Ryōiki.
• Yonaguni Hōgen Jiten Henshuu Iinkai. 2021. Dunanmunui Jiten [Yonaguni Dictionary]. Yonaguni: Yonaguni-chō Kyooiku Iinkai.
  

This bibliography will be updated periodically when I reference a text.
If I don't have the following book, the citation will be underlined.

あらーぐふがらさ！

Introduction

 I make posts mostly about Japanese-Ryukyuan (alias Japonic) languages. Note that this will probably never be peer-reviewed (a compilation of all of my contributions will likely be in a paper).