Dictionary of Ancient Japanese Orthography

FAIN: FT-57931-10

John Bentley
Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL 60115-2828)

This 500-page dictionary of ancient Japanese orthography, a first of its kind in any language, will combine a vast amount of philological, linguistic, and literary data from Korean peninsular and Japanese texts (epigraphic and written) in one convenient format. Japan is a linguistic museum, preserving a variety of continental texts generally not found anywhere else. The Japanese language has also preserved Chinese linguistic data that has disappeared from other countries within the sphere of Chinese linguistic influence. Scholars and students who study Asia find that a knowledge of Japanese is a critical research tool. Unfortunately, the vast amount of data that these scholars and students need access to in order to conduct their research is not readily available in a compact, handy format. This dictionary will address that need, as well as open up new possibilities in the study of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese historical linguistics.