日本江户时代外来语特征考察——以内容和表记方法为中心

On the Characteristics of Loan Words in the Edo Era of Japan: A Study Centering on Content and Representation

日本江户时代的外来语主要来自葡萄牙、西班牙与荷兰,其中荷兰源外来语在数量上占据了主导地位。从江户时代前期到后期,与衣食住行相关的词汇乃至与知识、学问、科学相关的词汇显著增加,这些变化表明日本社会对于西方文明的吸收正由物质层面扩展到精神层面。从表记方法上看,在音译词汇中笔画简洁的片假名逐渐取代笔画复杂的汉字。

Most of the loanwords in the Edo Era were borrowed from Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch, and among them, words of Dutch origin had the largest number. From earlier Edo Era to later that era, the number of words related with food, clothing, shelter and means of traveling and even those with knowledge, learning and science increased significantly. Such changes indicate that Japanese society was steering away from the material level to the spiritual one in its absorption of Western civilization. Moreover ,judging from the writing system, katakana, with its simpler strokes, was gradually replacing the more comolex Chinese characters.