Susumu Ono
Encyclopedia
was a Tokyo
-born linguist
, specializing in the early history of the Japanese language Kokugogaku. He graduated from the University of Tokyo
in 1943, where he studied under Shinkichi Hashimoto. He was professor
emeritus
at Gakushuin University
.
spelling system and phonology
of Old Japanese
, published in 1953. He became known to the general reading public with his popular book, The Origins of the Japanese language 1957, which, together with Kindaichi Haruhiko's The Japanese Language, published in the same year, created a lively national interest in the nature, origins and peculiarities of the Japanese language. He also collaborated with Takai Ichinosuke and Gomi Tomohide in the production of an important, an edition of the two fundamental early classics of Japanese Literature
, the Man'yōshū,(1957 - 1962), and the Nihon Shoki
,(1965 - 1967). In addition, he co-edited a standard dictionary of early Japanese, the Iwanami Kogo jiten (1974, 2nd.revised ed.1990), and co-edited a new edition of the complete works of Motoori Norinaga
, the greatest scholar of Kokugaku
(1968- 1993).
As a result of his many works of divulgation, he became one of the most well-known linguists in Japan. His book for general readers Nihongo Renshūchō ( Japanese Exercise Book) 1999, for example, sold an amazing 1.8 million copies.
Ōno has made a significant contribution to the field of Japanese quantitave linguistics by indicating a statistical relationship, known as 'Ōno's lexical law
', between the category of classical Japanese literary works and the rate of usage of word classes in their lexicons.
and the Tamil
languages share a common ancestry. . His theory has been severely criticized by prominent Japanese indologist Tokunaga Muneo
(徳永宗雄), who, unlike Ōno, is fluent in Tamil, and by other comparativists like Kazama Kiyozō (風間喜代三). Generally speaking, this, like many other amateur hypotheses about the origins of the Japanese language, collapses because the author, though a top-ranking scholar of Japanese, is not familiar with the intricate complexities of the comparative methodologies of philology
. Ōno's attempt to confront his critics, in the article cited here, is successful in disarming Roy Andrew Miller
's critique, but fails to answer the general charge, made much earlier on his previous theories about an Austronesian origin for the language,. The argument for a similar word order in Tamil and Japanese, for example, also holds for Japanese and some Papuan languages.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
-born linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, specializing in the early history of the Japanese language Kokugogaku. He graduated from the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
in 1943, where he studied under Shinkichi Hashimoto. He was professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
at Gakushuin University
Gakushuin University
is an elite higher educational institution in Mejiro, Toshima Ward, Tokyo. It was re-established after World War II as an affiliate of the Gakushūin School Corporation, the privatized successor to the original Gakushūin University or "Peers School" set up during the Meiji era to educate the...
.
Career
Ōno is best remembered by fellow professional linguists for his great work, following in the trailblazing wake of his mentor Hashimoto Shinkichi, on the KanaKana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
spelling system and phonology
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
of Old Japanese
Old Japanese
is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language.This stage in the development of Japanese is still actively studied and debated, and key Old Japanese texts, such as the Man'yōshū, remain obscure in places.-Dating:...
, published in 1953. He became known to the general reading public with his popular book, The Origins of the Japanese language 1957, which, together with Kindaichi Haruhiko's The Japanese Language, published in the same year, created a lively national interest in the nature, origins and peculiarities of the Japanese language. He also collaborated with Takai Ichinosuke and Gomi Tomohide in the production of an important, an edition of the two fundamental early classics of Japanese Literature
Japanese literature
Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
, the Man'yōshū,(1957 - 1962), and the Nihon Shoki
Nihon Shoki
The , sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical...
,(1965 - 1967). In addition, he co-edited a standard dictionary of early Japanese, the Iwanami Kogo jiten (1974, 2nd.revised ed.1990), and co-edited a new edition of the complete works of Motoori Norinaga
Motoori Norinaga
was a Japanese scholar of Kokugaku active during the Edo period. He is probably the best known and most prominent of all scholars in this tradition.-Life:...
, the greatest scholar of Kokugaku
Kokugaku
Kokugaku was a National revival, or, school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Tokugawa period...
(1968- 1993).
As a result of his many works of divulgation, he became one of the most well-known linguists in Japan. His book for general readers Nihongo Renshūchō ( Japanese Exercise Book) 1999, for example, sold an amazing 1.8 million copies.
Ōno has made a significant contribution to the field of Japanese quantitave linguistics by indicating a statistical relationship, known as 'Ōno's lexical law
Ono's lexical law
Ōno's lexical law, or simply Ōno's law, is a statistical law for the rate word classes as they appear in the lexicon of classical Japanese literary works. The law was discovered by Japanese linguist Susumu Ōno and published in 1956...
', between the category of classical Japanese literary works and the rate of usage of word classes in their lexicons.
The Hypothesis on a genetic link with the Tamil Language
Over the last three decades, Ōno has won particular notoriety for his support of the hypothesis, first put forward by Susumu Shiba in 1970, and developed by Akira Fujiwara (藤原明), most notably in 1981 that the JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and the Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
languages share a common ancestry. . His theory has been severely criticized by prominent Japanese indologist Tokunaga Muneo
Tokunaga Muneo
is a Japanese Indologist. A graduate of the doctoral programme of Harvard University, he now teaches in the Indology Department of Kyoto University....
(徳永宗雄), who, unlike Ōno, is fluent in Tamil, and by other comparativists like Kazama Kiyozō (風間喜代三). Generally speaking, this, like many other amateur hypotheses about the origins of the Japanese language, collapses because the author, though a top-ranking scholar of Japanese, is not familiar with the intricate complexities of the comparative methodologies of philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
. Ōno's attempt to confront his critics, in the article cited here, is successful in disarming Roy Andrew Miller
Roy Andrew Miller
Roy Andrew Miller is a linguist notable for his advocacy of Korean and Japanese as members of the Altaic group of languages....
's critique, but fails to answer the general charge, made much earlier on his previous theories about an Austronesian origin for the language,. The argument for a similar word order in Tamil and Japanese, for example, also holds for Japanese and some Papuan languages.
Popular Works on Japanese
- Nihongo no kigen Iwanami, Tokyo 1957
- Nihongo no nenrin Shinchō Bunko, Tokyo 1966
- Nihongo o sakanoboru, Iwanami, Tokyo 1974
- Nihongo no bunpō o kangaeru Iwanami, Tokyo 1978
- Nihongo izen Iwanami, Tokyo 1987
- Nihongo no keisei, Iwanami Shoten, Tokyo 2000
- Yayoi bunmei to minami-Indo, Iwanami Shoten 2004
See also
- Japanese language classificationJapanese language classificationThe classification of the Japonic languages is unclear. The group is traditionally considered to consist of dialects of a single language isolate....
- Japanese literatureJapanese literatureEarly works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...
- List of Japanese authors
- Ōno's lexical lawOno's lexical lawŌno's lexical law, or simply Ōno's law, is a statistical law for the rate word classes as they appear in the lexicon of classical Japanese literary works. The law was discovered by Japanese linguist Susumu Ōno and published in 1956...
External links
- Japanese Tamil scholar Susumu Ohno passes away - Tamilnet, July 16, 2008
- The Genealogy of the Japanese Language: Tamil and Japanese. - Ono Susumu