Associate Professor NOHARA, Masaki
Associate Professor NOHARA, Masaki
- Academic Degree
- Ph.D. in Letters, Waseda University
- Expertise
- Chinese phonology history
- Research Theme
- The study of Old Chinese Phonology
The study of Old Chinese Phonology
This research specializes in the reconstruction of Old Chinese (OC) phonology. Scholars in the early 20th century mainly used philological evidence such as Xiesheng connections, rhyme data, and phonetic loans to reconstruct OC phonology. However, in the last few decades, many newly excavated documents such as Chu bamboo slips have been unearthed around the Yangtze River. In addition, we can now also use comparative data such as Min [Chinese], loans from other languages such as Vietic, Kra-Dai, Hmong-Mien, and Tibeto-Burman languages (which might contain cognate words). Using these data, the researcher aims to reconstruct OC phonology and describe the historical changes that have occurred in a range of basic words.