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Paper short abstract

I propose a corpus-linguistic framework grounded in historical grammatical theories to analyze translation choices in my corpus of Rangaku documents. I argue that integrating Early Modern Japanese theories reveals patterns which would otherwise be overlooked by modern linguistic frameworks.

Paper long abstract

The present paper highlights the methodological value of integrating historical theories within modern corpus linguistics, by analyzing Japanese translations from Dutch.

During the Edo period, Japanese scholars were exposed to European languages and compelled to investigate the very nature of translation and to develop new theories and methodologies for the Japanese rendition of terms and concepts previously unknown. They soon realized that translation could not simply consist of a one-to-one substitution of lexical elements. Instead, they increasingly shifted their attention toward word inflection and how meaning emerges from morphosyntactic interactions within sentences.

Since the pioneering research conducted by Shizuki Tadao (Nakano Ryūho, 1760 – 1806), Japanese scholars began systematically analyzing Dutch grammar and developing theories capable of describing previously under-researched morphosyntactic phenomena. The approach to a new foreign linguistic system inevitably led these scholars to examine the grammatical structure of their own native tongue. Handbooks of Dutch grammar produced during this period, which were often also conceived of as translation guides, constitute invaluable sources for understanding how early modern Japanese scholars interpreted grammatical patterns and how they attributed nuances in meaning to them.

Based on these premises, this paper proposes to approach corpus linguistics assuming that historical grammatical theories are indispensable for the examination of the grammatical choices made by the translators within historical corpora. Accordingly, the paper first outlines key principles governing the translation of Dutch grammar into Japanese, as articulated by scholars active in the latter half of the Edo period. It then demonstrates how incorporating these historical theories into corpus analysis enables the identification of grammatical patterns that remain unseen when conducting research solely through the lens of modern grammatical theory. This approach offers productive insights into the long-standing debate surrounding the origin of Japanese passive constructions (Martin 1975; Earns 1993; Kinsui 1997) and their correspondence to traditional European theories on the passive voice. Preliminary research on the data on passivity from my corpus suggests a low degree of correspondence between traditionally defined passive constructions across these translations fro, Dutch. Instead, different patterns emerge thanks to the indications provided by language-related materials of the time.