This study reveals that it is necessary to take into account at least three sorts of concepts, rentai-ka, jyo-ka, and touchi-ka, when analyzing expressions in ancient waka poems. This is because these three concepts turned out to be correlated through my research. First, rentai-ka which enables an event to jump to another related event both spatially and temporally, is discussed. Concerning Man'yoshu, while such a jump can't be seen in many of rentai-ka, some show it, a jump. As to jumping cases, “Asada conjecture” proved to be accurate in some respects, jumping patterns vary and have an obvious tendency in Man'yoshu. Second, some observations about three types of jyo-ka, type A, B, and C, are given. Type A has been regarded as a typical jyo-ka, and type B and C are new ones founded through this research. This study proved that these types must be clearly distinguished. Third, certain features of the predicate in touchi-ka are presented. In conclusion, the association of the three concepts is mentioned: rentai-ka is very similar to jyo-ka type A and this type is closely related to touchi-ka. All these inquiries may be explained from the fact that waka poems were performed in linear order.

This paper focused on the translation of phrases in English expressing “large quantities” to Japanese in English-Japanese conversation books (hereinafter called “EJC books”) in the second half of the 19th century. At that time, translating noun phrases, such as “much of (noun)” or “many of (noun),” was difficult for translators because the Japanese language did not have any equivalent expressions for them. To confirm this fact, the author examined approximately 150 books, and concluded the following:

1. Most of the EJC books written by English translators were translated using adverbs or adverbial phrases. This implies English translators wanted to record natural colloquial Japanese in these books for the learners.

2. Most of the EJC books written by Japanese translators were translated using adverbs or adverbial phrases, too. This implies Japanese translators wanted to use natural colloquial Japanese in these books because they were native speakers.

3. A few of the EJC books written by Japanese translators were translated literally using noun phrases. These were influenced by Kanbunkundoku, the method used to translate Chinese into Japanese. Simultaneously, this became one of the earliest examples of translations using noun phrases, such as “(noun) no ōku,” in the contemporary period. This case can be the basis for further investigation regarding new Japanese expressions generated by translations in the Meiji period.

Verb conjugation systems in Kyūshū Dialects have two distinct features: the preservation of nidan (bi-grade) conjugation and the change from ichidan (mono-grade) conjugation to ragyō-godan (quinque-grade) conjugation. The former is a remnant of classical systems, whereas the latter is a result of new changes. Previous studies have deemed these features as irrelevant to each other. However, this study examines the mora-nasalization of conclusive forms in Ōita dialect and suggests that both these features are related to the avoidance of homonymic conflict between the mora-nasal conclusive form and mora-na-sal negative form.

Analysis of the results of the random sampling surveys for about 20 years on the Japanese language, conducted by NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, total of 34 surveys [616 questions], from the perspective of educational background revealed that the responses of college-educated people tend to converge to a specific majority answer, and this means that homogeneity of language consciousness is relatively high. They also prefer to use Kanji, favor original phonetic sound of loan words when they write in Katakana, and showed the conservative reaction on “disturbance of words”.

The descriptive study of Japanese grammar, which was developed to meet the needs of Japanese language education in the 1980s and 1990s, is said to have lost sight of its original aim and have undergone a long slump from around the millennium (Noda (2001) and others). In this paper I discuss the necessity to create and solve new research questions with the Japanese language learner's point of view in mind in order to energize the descriptive research of Japanese grammar.

Specifically, I propose three descriptive approaches to realize the cross-disciplinary research in Japanese linguistics and Japanese language education: i) pragmatics (the study of context), ii)contrastive analysis of Japanese and other languages, and iii)research on grammatical forms with similar meanings. Based on an examination of previous descriptive research using these three approach- es, I will discuss significant results and possible applications of this research to Japanese language education.

Punctuation marks based on syntactic structures have been used in writings in Japan since the Meiji Restoration (1868). Before the Meiji era, a single type of mark or no marks at all were common. Under the influence of punctuation marks in the Western writings, different marks were gradually used based on syntactic structure; for example, “。” for the end of a sentence or “、” for the end of a phrase or a clause.

In elementary education, syntax-based punctuation marks were used in reading textbooks, and later used in composition textbooks. Moreover, usage of punctuation marks was taught in composition class during the late Meiji era (1907-1912). It was stimulated by the publication of Prospectus for Edit of Government-Designated Textbook (Kokuteitokuhonhensan-Shu'isho) in 1904 and announcement of The Bill of Usage of Punctuation Marks in Government-Designated Textbook (Kutōhō'an) in 1906.

In students’ compositions, punctuation marks were seldom used or only one type was used in 1897–1906 (Meiji 30–40). On the other hand, punctuation marks based on syntactic structure were used in 1907–1912 (Meiji 40–45). These marks were put while writing rather than after writing letters. The punctuation system based on syntactic structures gained a foothold in the Taisho era (1912-1926).

There are a number of simplified forms of kanji containing the iteration marks 〻 or 〓 (the latter of derived from a duplication of the former: 〻〻) such as 枣 ‘jujube’ (< 棗) and 摂 ‘to take’ (< 攝). The purpose of this study is to clarify the development of such simplifications through an investigation of pre-17th century manuscripts including dictionaries, Buddhist texts and records by court nobles.

Through this investigation, the following point was clarified. At first, simplified forms containing iteration marks were limited to glyphs such as 〓 ‘to slander’ (< 䜛) and 〓 ‘slightly’ (< 〓), both of which were borrowed from China. Starting in the late 15th century (the mid Muromachi period), simplifications with the iteration mark 〓 began to be used in glyphs containing three or four of the same components (e.g. 疂 ‘to fold’ (< 疊 ), 〓 ‘to bind’ (< 綴 ), etc.) and the usage of such simplifications began to increase from the 16th century (the late Muromachi period) onward. Furthermore, from the end of the 16th and into the 17th century (the early Edo period), simplifications with the mark 〻 began to be used in glyphs containing two of the same components (e.g. 枣 ‘jujube’ (< 棗), etc.), similar to the simplifications of 〓 and 〓 borrowed from Chinese.

From the above, it can be concluded that a structural analysis of kanji components took place in the mid Muromachi period leading to 〻 and 〓 being comprehended as iteration marks, which in turn lead to an increased usage of iteration marks in simplified forms of kanji through the process of analogy. This tendency can be looked at as a kind of ‘analytic tendency’ (tendency towards analogy) in the history of kanji glyphs.