ABSTRACT
This chapter briefly outlines the history of OJ segmental phonemes. It is neither a history of attempts at the internal or external reconstruction of Japanese nor is it a substitute for more detailed accounts of Japanese language history such as Martin (1987). The viewpoint presented here is admittedly rather mainstream. I will discuss only consonants and vowels here, completely ignoring pitch accent. These limitations reflect this book’s goal: the reconstruction of OJ segmental phonetics based on written records. I consider the evidence below to be secondary evidence for my reconstruction. I will discuss the sinograph readings that are at the heart of my reconstruction in the following chapter.
