Late Middle Japanese - Grammar

Grammar

A number of archaic grammatical forms are shed bringing the language closer to its modern form.

One of the most prominent developments is the replacement of the conclusive form with the attributive. This has a number of effects:

  • It is instrumental in the change from bigrade to monograde verbs.
  • It causes a chain of events in the two adjectival classes which eventually results in the two merging into one.
  • It weakens the Kakarimusubi system.
  • The verb ar- "be", which was once irregular, begins to regularize as a quadrigrade.

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