A Proposed Resolution to the Problem of Geographical Inversion in Japanese Language Origins

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2022-02

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Ohio State University. Libraries

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Abstract

This paper concerns the odd absence of Japanese-like words in areas of ancient Korea where pre-Japanese peoples lived, the so-called problem of geographical inversion. I discuss some of the models proposed for the linguistic prehistory of Korea, and show why Unger's (2009) "para-Japanese" theory is the better model of pre-Japanese linguistic origins on the peninsula. Building on this, I propose a "Pre-Yayoi" model of para-Japanese that explains the geographical inversion of Japanese-like place names that draws on the linguistic dynamics of cultural conflict between pre-Korean and pre-Japanese populations. This resolves one of the most significant problems in understanding the origins of Japanese language on the peninsula.

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Yayoi, Proto-Japanese, Japanese, Korean, historical linguistics

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Francis-Ratte, Alexander T. "A Proposed Resolution to the Problem of Geographical Inversion in Japanese Language Origins." Buckeye East Asia: Occasional Papers, vol. 1 (February 2022), p. 60-70.

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http://hdl.handle.net/1811/101074

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Buckeye East Asia: Occasional Papers