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Research draft

Japanese

vr.tr.japanese · INF.MED

Let an agent handle the Japanese language: explain its writing systems, grammar and politeness levels, distinguish dialects, support learning and translation, and give sourced information on its use.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent handle the Japanese language: explain its writing systems, grammar and politeness levels, distinguish dialects, support learning and translation, and give sourced information on its use.

The national language of Japan, a member of the Japonic family, spoken by about 125 million people, written with kanji, hiragana and katakana, with standard Japanese based on the Tokyo dialect and many regional dialects such as those of Kyushu, Tohoku and the Hachijo islands; Japanese is widely studied as a foreign language.

What it is for: Communication in Japan and among learners worldwide.

It can be explain writing systems and grammar; explain politeness and honorific speech; distinguish dialects; support learning and translation.

Distinguishing features

Japonic language

Three scripts

Honorific system

Standard and dialects

What it looks like

Not physical; a language in speech and text.

How it is recognised

Kanji, hiragana and katakana

Subject-object-verb order

Chinese uses characters but is unrelated

Related models

is a kind of - category

Japonic

is related to - other language

Dutch

is related to - historical loanwords

Portuguese

is regulated by - guidance body

Agency for Cultural Affairs

In practice

Families and kinds

standard Japanese

regional dialects

historical stages such as Classical Japanese

Japanese as a foreign language

Hachijo and other divergent varieties

Identifiers

ISO 639-1 ja language code

ISO 639-3 jpn language code

Standards and regulation

Joyo kanji list and official orthography guidance

Japanese-Language Proficiency Test levels

CEFR-based frameworks for learners

Failure modes and hazards

Wrong politeness level

Confusing scripts and readings

Treating dialects as incorrect

Also called

Hachijō dialectsJapanese as a second or foreign languageKyūshū JapaneseModern Japanesezūzū-benMatagi dialectsmall kana writingEastern JapaneseAmami JapaneseWestern JapaneseLegal JapaneseJapanese dialectClassical JapanesekōgaiEasy JapaneseTaiwanese-style JapaneseEarly Modern JapaneseJapanese written in hiraganaJapanese written in katakanaJapanese written in kanaJapanese written in Latin scriptJapanese written in kanjiTōkai–Tōsan dialectOkinawan JapanesePlain JapaneseDaitō islands dialectNorthern Izu Islands dialectSan'in dialectneo-dialectwakan konkō-bunsōrōbunkuruwa kotobaEchigo dialectGifu–AichiNagano–Yamanashi–Shizuoka

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Language Structure.

Scripts and grammar.

Writing

Writing systems.

Writing

Writing systems.

  1. How are kanji, hiragana and katakana used together, and how is this word written? definition
  2. Which readings does this kanji have? provenance

Grammar

Key features.

Grammar

Grammar.

  1. How does this grammar point work, such as particles or verb forms? definition
  2. What are common learner errors? provenance
Politeness Register.

Register matters.

Keigo

Honorific speech.

Keigo

Honorific speech.

  1. Which politeness level suits this situation, and how is it formed? definition
  2. What are the honorific, humble and polite forms? definition

Dialects

Regional varieties.

Dialects

Dialects.

  1. How does this dialect differ from standard Japanese, and is it described respectfully? provenance
  2. Which varieties, such as Hachijo, are endangered? provenance
Learn Learning and using.

Resources exist.

Resources

Learning Japanese.

Resources

Learning.

  1. Which resources and courses suit this learner level? action
  2. Which JLPT level applies? provenance

Translate

Translation.

Translate

Translation.

  1. How should this phrase be translated, considering register and context? action
  2. Is a certified translation needed? boundary
Status Use and history.

Language in society.

Official

Status and policy.

Official

Status.

  1. What is the official status of Japanese, and which bodies guide its use? provenance
  2. How are loanwords handled? provenance

History

Development.

History

History.

  1. How did Japanese develop, according to historical linguists? provenance
  2. What is known about its relationship to Ryukyuan? provenance

What the second pass must settle

  • Should each dialect be a separate entry?
  • How should dictionaries be linked?
  • How should learning resources be graded?
Draft as JSON