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, focusing 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 gra...