Late Old Japanese facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Early Middle Japanese |
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| 中古日本語 | ||||
| Region | Japan | |||
| Era | Evolved into Late Middle Japanese at the end of the 12th century | |||
| Language family | ||||
| Early forms: |
Old Japanese
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| Writing system | Hiragana, Katakana, and Han | |||
| Linguist List | ojp Described as "The ancestor of modern Japanese. 7th–10th centuries AD." The more usual date for the change from Old Japanese to Middle Japanese is ca. 800 (end of the Nara era). | |||
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Early Middle Japanese (中古日本語) is an old form of the Japanese language. It was spoken and written in Japan during the Heian Period, which lasted from 794 to 1185. This period was a time of great cultural growth in Japan. Before Early Middle Japanese, people spoke a language called Old Japanese.
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Understanding Early Middle Japanese
Early Middle Japanese is important because it shows how the Japanese language changed over time. It connects the very old form of Japanese to the language spoken today. Many famous stories and poems were written during this period.
How Japanese Was Written Back Then
The very first way Japanese was written came from Chinese characters. These characters are like little pictures that represent words or ideas. Today, we call them kanji.
During the Heian Period, two new writing systems were created: Hiragana and Katakana. These new scripts were much simpler. Instead of representing whole words, they showed the sounds of syllables. This made reading and writing much easier for everyone.
Famous Books from the Heian Period
Because writing became easier, many important books were created during this time. Some of the most famous include:
- The Tale of Genji
- The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
- The Tales of Ise
These books are still read and studied today. They give us a peek into what life was like in ancient Japan.
Changes in How People Spoke
The way people spoke Japanese changed a lot during the Early Middle Japanese period.
- Some consonant sounds that were made through the nose became "voiced." This means they used the vocal cords more.
- New long vowel sounds were added.
- Some consonants started to blend together.
- The number of different syllables became simpler. It went from 88 types down to just 66.
- Also, there used to be two types of '-i', '-e', and '-o' sounds, but they became just one type.
Grammar Changes
The rules of grammar also changed. For example, the way adjectives changed their endings (called declension) became different. Some verbs ended in a consonant, while others ended in a vowel. These changes helped shape the grammar of modern Japanese.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Japonés medio temprano para niños
