Middle Japanese
Facts
- Language: Middle Japanese
- Alternate names: 中世日本語, chūsei nihongo
- Language code: xjpnm
- Language family: Japonic (SIL classification)
- Earlier form of: Japanese
- Number of speakers: Extinct
- Script: Hiragana, Katakana, and Han
More information:
Introduction
Middle Japanese is a stage of the Japanese language following Late Old Japanese and proceeding Early Modern Japanese. It is a period of transition in which the language sheds many of its archaic features and becomes closer to its modern form.
The verb
The 9 verbal conjugations in Middle 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) | -i | -i | -iru | -iru | -ire | -i(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 |
Throughout the Middle Japanese period bigrade verbs gradually change into monogrades. This process comes to a completion during Early Modern Japanese.
This is in part a result of the merging of the conclusive (terminal) and attributive forms. The distinction is still existing in Okinawan.