What’s in a name? Padre João Rodriguez’s discussion of naming practices in his Short grammar of the Japanese language

Abstract

The title of Rodriguez's second linguistic study reads: Short Grammar of the Japanese Language, extracted from the Large Grammar of the Same Language for Those Who Start Learning Its First Principles. The Short Grammar is divided into three books. The first contains some general remarks about the Japanese language and how it can best be learned, rules for transcription and pronunciation, as well as declensions and conjugations. The second book deals with the rudiments and classification of the parts of speech, Japanese and Sino-Japanese readings of words, honorific verbs, and provides some basic rules for composition. The third book covers a number of characteristics of the different styles of writing. In the opening of the third book, Rodriguez elaborates on his decision to include a treatise on names. Keywords:Japanese language; linguistic study; naming practices; Padre Joao Rodriguez; pronunciation; Short Grammar of the Japanese Language ; Sino-Japanese; spoken language; transcription