The Austronesian-Japanese ConnectionYou can’t make this stuff up!

...Or could you?

So… Japanese is related to Hawai’ian?

The Austronesian languages are thought to have split 6-8,000 years ago.The Malayo-Polynesian subfamily is the largest with approximately 300 million speakers.Archeological evidence indicates an origin in southern China.Found in the Philippines, Indonesia, the Malay peninsula, Taiwan, Polynesia and Madagascar!9 out 10 branches found only in Taiwan.

それが真珠湾攻撃の理由なのか？

Austronesian Taiwan

Atayal Woman

Rukai Chief

Amis Harvest Festival

Bunun Planting Ritual

How long ago did Japanese branch off?

The idea that Japanese is an Austronesian language is considered unlikely by most.

偽言語比較論 -tastic!

Benedict: Japanese came from Southern China of Austro-Tai stock over 5,000 years ago.Murayama: Japanese is an Altaic/Austronesian HybridShinmura, Oono etc.: Japanese is Altaic with Austronesian substratumMiller: Japanese is purely Altaic.

日本人は遺伝子的に北方系集団に親密であり、

gen

etic

rela

tion

s

南方系の人々とは相当に大きな距離がある

Phological Diachronic Evolution of WordsCopping out can be easy!

Reduction-right – (RR)Elision of final syllable(s)持つ motu < OJ mötu < PAJ *ramoc “to grasp”

Reduction-left – (RL)Elision of first syllable(s)毛 ke < OJ kë < *kai < *ka +*i < bukas

Phological Diachronic Evolution of WordsCopping out can be easy!

Benedict seems to related apparently unrelated terms via hybrid etyma百　 momo “100” ~ PA *ribuPAJ etymon: *ri(m)bəw水　 midu ~ P-Atayalic biyuq “juice”PAJ etymon: *(m)bidźuqAnalogously:口　 kuti ~ Eng. MouthP-English-Japanese: kumau(θ)ti

Austronesian Family語彙の比較

Malayo-Polynesian

Gloss MalayOld

JavaneseMaori Chamorro Tagalog Malagasy Tao

(Formosan)

*anak child anak anak tamaiti patgon anak anaka anak

*buŋa flower buŋa wuŋa pwa:wai(flores) (<Sp.)

buŋa(fruit)

vuni savosavoŋ

*lelaki male lelaki laki ta:ne lahi lalaki lahi mehakaj

*mata eye mata mata mata mata mata maso mata

Japanese Relations

童　 wara-Fe < ʔu+alakʔu = frozen topic marker

花　 Fana < baŋa (Benedict’s A. Reconstruction)cf. Paiwan (For.) baŋal “fruit”P-Kadai *baal < *baŋal “fruit”

(no correspondence to *lelaki “male”)目　 me < më < *mai < *ma +*i < PAT mapra

Austronesian Family語彙の比較

Malayo-Polynesian

Gloss MalayOld

JavaneseMaori Chamorro Tagalog Malagasy

Tao(For.)

*putiʔ white putih putih ma: aʔpaka putiʔ fotsi malavaŋ

*sakitsick/pain

sakit sakit ma:uiui sageʔ sakit rari miŋən

*SuSuʔ breast susu susu u: susu susuʔ nono ṣuṣuʔ

*tawən year tahun tahun tauaɲu sakkan

taʔun taona awan

Japanese Relations

(no correspondence to *putiʔ “white”)(no correspondence to *sakit “sick/pain”)乳　 titi < PAK t iś t iś

this seems to me onomatopoeiccf. Turkic čičig, Eng. tit etc.

年　 tosi < OJ tösi < PAJ tuxiɣ

Austronesian Family語彙の比較

Malayo-Polynesian

Gloss MalayOld

JavaneseMaori Chamorro Tagalog Malagasy

Tao(For.)

*esa/isa one satu sa- tahi hatʃa isa isa asa

*duSa two dua rwatua rua

hawa dalawa roa ruʔaʔ

*telu three tiga təlu toru tulu tatlo teloatlo tiluʔ

*Sepat four empat pat ɸa: fatfat apat efatra apat

*lima five lima lima rima lima lima dimi limaʔ(hand)

Japanese Relations

いざなみ　 < *iza+*na+*miiza < PAK ʔitsana = subordinating particlemi = variant of 女 me < PAT ba(m)bəhi（伝統分析） < 誘う ( いざなう , “invite”)+ 女

…similarly いざなぎ

Japanese Relations

二 - futa-<Futa < (bound form) PAus. Put aścf. Paiwan maka-pusa-ɫ, PTsou –pusa-

(no correspondence to *duSa “three”)四 - yo- < yö- < Austro-Kadai śəpat (!)五つ itutu < *i+*tutu < PAK *lima

tutu = reduplicated numeral suffix -tu

Most Convincing Examples:竹 < takë < *taka+*i < PA batakan鎚　 tuti “hammer”<tutui<*tutu+*i< PA tutu鳴く < nak- < PAK *ŋak(ŋak)飲む < nom- < PA ʔinom舐める　 < OJ namu < PA nam(nam) “to taste”荒　 ara “wild, of the wild” < ʔalats “forest”穴 < PAJ *qanan “hole”

Abosolute worst examples ever!田　 ta “field” < PAK (m)plalaq早 /速い　 <*(m)baɣat “NW monsoon,

east wind etc”矢 < PA *lawi “feather”滝 < *(m)pujak “foam, bubble”岡 oka “hill” < woka < PAJ *po(ŋ)krak

Extra-lexical Motivation

Phonological simplicity of JapaneseRather few phonemesTendency towards open syllablesAustronesian morphemes are largely CVCVC

Should this explain high rate of two-syllable morphemes in Japanese?Or CVCVC structure of verbs like koros-?

Ainu is also heavily CVCVC…

Extra-lexical Motivation

Reduplicated reduplicationPlurals – 人々Onomatopoeias – バラバラAustronesian has twice the doubling!

Plurals - orangorangVerbal conjugations

Ainu Ainu!merimeri “sparkles”

Japanese is a dialect of English

Conclusion: