Bjarke Frellesvig describes the development of the Japanese language from its recorded beginnings until the present day as reflected by the written sources and historical record. Beginning with a description of the oldest attested stage of the language, Old Japanese (approximately the eighth century AD), and then tracing the changes which occurred through the Early Middle Japanese (800–1200), Late Middle Japanese (1200–1600) and the Modern Japanese (1600–onwards) periods, a complete internal history of the language is examined and discussed. This account provides a comprehensive study of how the Japanese language has developed and adapted, providing a much needed resource for scholars. A History of the Japanese Language is invaluable to all those interested in the Japanese language and also students of language change generally.

Review of the hardback:'This book provides a ready resource on pre-modern Japanese for linguists throughout the world.'

Satoshi Kinsui - Osaka University

Review of the hardback:'… monumental … it is likely to have an impact for decades to come …'

John Whitman - Cornell University

'The field … owes a great debt of gratitude to Bjarke Frellesvig for producing this comprehensive, well-organized, and eminently useful monograph. It not only does the job splendidly but also sweeps away cobwebs and introduces some fresh perspectives on the premodern language … His history will, I think, be the standard textbook for the next generation of students, astimulus to researchers, and the first place for linguists not specializing in Japanese to check when they have diachronic queries about Japanese. It is a solid contribution to the field.'

Source: Language