Questions tagged [old-japanese]

上代日本語. A historical stage of Japanese which has the oldest attestation in documents currently known. Typically seen in 万葉集 (Man'yōshū; late 8c).

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What is the grammar behind this sentence in old Japanese

Here's the first sentence from the song Reincarnation from Kenji Kawai, part of the OST of Ghost in the Shell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64HCi2rQkE) A ga maeba, kuwashime yoinikeri According to this site and this one, this writes in…
Antoine Trouve
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Why did です eventually overtake なり?

More of a history question... I understand です became more commonly used in late Edo, but before that (as I understand) it was commonly associated with low-society life, such as prostitutes and thieves as portrayed by theatre during the earlier era.…
Ryan
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