日本語と英語に興味がある人のための日本語学 第二版 (An Introduction to Japanese Linguistics for those who are interested in both English and Japanese, 2nd Edition)

This introductory textbook on the structure of Japanese is tailored to the needs of advanced learners of the language. It is written in Japanese for the most part, but also includes English glosses in the footnotes. By including the glosses in the footnotes, the reader is able to learn each word without turning the page, thus providing a focused approach to learning the language. On the other hand, some linguistic terminology is written in English, with the Japanese equivalent following after. Some of the linguistic notions are explained in English only when it is relatively difficult to understand even for the advanced learners. In addition, “furigana” (phonetic guide or ruby text) is written alongside all of the “Kanji” to indicate the pronunciation. Furthermore, unlike ordinary Japanese academic books that are written in “da/dearu-style” (the plain form), this book is written in “desu/masu-style” (the polite form) because it is considered that the polite style is much more beneficial than the plain style for the learners who concern themselves with the use of it in their conversation.

The book provides an introduction to Japanese linguistics comparing the structures of Japanese and English phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax. The author introduces linguistic notions and terminology discussing the theoretical analyses of linguistic phenomena in the languages. Therefore, it is a good invitation to Japanese linguistics not only for advanced learners of Japanese but also for those who are interested in studying linguistics and potentially pursuing a career in teaching the Japanese or English language.


1. 日本語学習者のために、全ての漢字にふりがなを付けました。
2. 難解と思われる単語には英訳を付けました。
3. ページをめくって英訳を探さなくてもいいように、英訳は同じページの脚注に収めました。
4. 特に難解で、日本語で覚える必要性が低いと思われる専門用語は、あえて日本語を使わずに、直接英語で表記しました。また、必要に応じて英語で説明を加えました。
5. 丁寧語の学習の方が学生にとって役に立つであろうとの観点から、「デス・マス体」を使いました。

そこで、本書は、基本的には、日本語を勉強している学生を対象に書かれているといえますが、日本語教師を目指している人にも役に立つ内容になっています。さらに、日本語との比較を通して、英語の構造と機能も学べますから、英語教育に興味がある人にも役に立つ内容です。

更新履歴
Operation words recorrected!（操作文言を再修正しました。）
This e-book's printed version, "An Introduction to Japanese Linguistics for Advanced Learners of Japanese" is available at Amazon.（紙版はAmazonで購入できます。）