Late Old Japanese

Facts

  • Language: Late Old Japanese
  • Alternate names: 中古日本語, chūko nihongo
  • Language code: dojpl
  • Language family: Japonic, Japanesic
  • Dialect of: Old Japanese
  • Number of speakers: Extinct
  • Script: Hiragana, Katakana, and Han

More information:

    Introduction

    Late Old Japanese is a stage of the Japanese language used between 794 and 1185, a time known as the Heian Period. It is the successor to Old Japanese. Late Old Japanese further evolved to Middle Japanese.

    The verb

    The 9 verbal conjugations in Old Japanese

    Lower Monograde (下一段) was introduced in Late Old Japanese

    Verb Class Irrealis
    未然形
    Adverbial
    連用形
    Conclusive
    終止形
    Attributive
    連体形
    Realis
    已然形
    Imperative
    命令形
    Quadrigrade (四段) -a -i -u -u -e -e
    Upper Monograde(上一段) - - -ru -ru -re -(yo)
    Upper Bigrade (上二段) -i -i -u -uru -ure -i(yo)
    Lower Monograde (下一段) -e -e -eru -eru -ere -e(yo)
    Lower Bigrade (下二段) -e -e -u -uru -ure -e(yo)
    K-irregular (カ変) -o -i -u -uru -ure -o
    S-irregular (サ変) -e -i -u -uru -ure -e(yo)
    N-irregular (ナ変) -a -i -u -uru -ure -e
    R-irregular (ラ変) -a -i -i -u -e -e

    Consonant / vowel stem

    Verbs having a base that ends in a consonant are known as consonant-stem. These are exhibited by the following conjugation classes: Quadrigrade, Upper Bigrade, Lower Monograde, Lower Bigrade, S-irregular, R-irregular, K-irregular, and N-irregular.

    Verbs having a base that ends in a vowel are known as vowel-stem. These are exhibited by the following conjugation classes: Upper Monograde.

    Irregular verbs

    There are several verbs with irregular conjugations.

    The conjugation class for each is named after the final stem consonant.