The Japanese Language in the Pacific Region

Long and Imamura examine language contact phenomena in the Asia Pacific region in the context of early 20th century colonial history, focussing on the effects the Japanese language continues to have over island societies in the Pacific.
Beginning in the early 20th century when these islands were taken over by the Japanese Empire and continuing into the 21st century, the book examines 5,150 Japanese-origin loanwords used in 14 different languages. It delves into semantic, phonological and grammatical changes in these loanwords which form a fundamental part of the lexicons of these Pacific Island languages even now in the twenty-first century. The authors examine the usage of Japanese kana for writing some of the local language, and the Pidginoid phenomena of Angaur Island. Readers will gain a unique understanding of the Japanese language's usage in the region from colonial times through the post-war period and well into the current century.
Researchers, students and practitioners in the fields of sociolinguistics, language policy and Japanese studies will find this book particularly useful for the empirical evidence it provides regarding language contact situations and the various Japanese language influences in the Asia Pacific region. The authors also offer accompanying e-resources which help to further illustrate the examples found in the book.