Abstract
The aim of this study is to describe yari-morai constructions in the Yaeyama Ryukyuan, and to point out that the honorific yari-morai verbs in Yaeyama have a system closely similar to that of Pre-modern Japanese. I will especially focus on taborun and taborarin, which are honorific words. Taborun is almost the same as kudasaru in Modern Common Japanese, but sometimes is used in the sense of itadaku or oataeninaru. On the other hand, taborarin basically means itadaku. In Common Japanese kudasaru and itadaku cannot be used with the same construction, such as "X-ga Y-ni hon-o kudasarul *itadaku" (where X's social position is higher than Y's), meaning "X gives the book to Y". But taborun and taborarin can be used with the same construction, such as "X-gara Y-ge hon-ju taborun/taborarin." in the Miyara dialect. Here, X can take the ablative case. Taborun thus has a different grammar from Modern Common Japanese, which has restrictions on givers and/or receivers NPs in yari-morai constructions. Yari-morai constructions in Yaeyama do not have such person restrictions. They are similar to constructions in Pre-modern Japanese. I found the meaning of taborun is close to that of tamawaru in Pre-modern Japanese of about the 15th-16th century. In Yaeyama and Pre-modern Japanese, yari-morai constructions have an honorific-priority system; the verb which shows giving or receiving is chosen according to the deference for giver or receiver, in place of person restrictions. In those systems, I found the following common typological features: (1) The nominative case does not have to be used. A giver takes the ablative case, therefore the contrast in the meanings of oataeninaru, kudasaru and itadaku is lost. (2) When receivers become the subject, a passive verb is used, like tamaw-aru from tamawu in Pre-modern Japanese, and tabor-arin from taborun in the Yaeyama Ryukyuan.
