Reconstruction talk:Proto-Japonic/-nka

Is Korean 가 (ga) a comparandum worth mentioning here? —Μετάknowledge^{discuss/deeds} 02:46, 5 February 2019 (UTC)

Yes, it was only used starting from the early modern ages. It must be a borrowing from early modern Japanese. Kwékwlos (talk) 16:00, 7 February 2020 (UTC)

@Metaknowledge, Kwékwlos, related thread at User_talk:Wyang/Archive7#The_etymology_of_Korean_subject_particle_가_(ga). Wyang lists a few relevant references, with links. ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │^{Tala við mig} 22:12, 7 February 2020 (UTC)

Pellard

@Kwékwlos, I think it's appropriate to mention Pellard, but I don't think it's appropriate to rework the entry on the basis of one reference work.

By contrast to Pellard's contention, Japanese sources point out that genitive が (ga) appears in the oldest OJP texts as a marker on much more than just pronouns. See also sense [1].[一].①.(イ) at the KDJ entry for が ga (in Japanese).

And regarding those pronouns that take が (ga) as a genitive, these were not always genitive forms for the pronouns. We see (for instance) that bare-form 我 (wa) was used with を (o), に (ni), and は (wa), with the kind of set-phrase genitive usage of wa ga only becoming prevalent later. See also this KDJ entry for 我 wa (in Japanese).

The description of Proto-Japonic as probably lacking a subject particle agrees with other things I've read. That said, we also see clear usage of が (ga) as a nominative marker in the earliest extant Japanese texts, further suggesting that use was not restricted to genitive contexts. See also sense [1].[三].①.(イ) at the KDJ entry for が ga (in Japanese).

The KDJ entry for が (ga) here includes a sizable section of notes. Of particular relevance to discussion of the genitive use:

[語誌]((一)に関して) (1)格助詞としての用法(一)は、ほとんどすべて「の」助詞の用法と相重なるが、両助詞の機能的な差異から、自然とその使用環境は微妙な差異を示す。すなわち(一)の連体格用法で、第一に、人を表わす体言を受ける場合、待遇表現上の区別が認められる。「が」助詞が用いられた場合には、「万葉‐三八四三」の「いづくそ真朱(まそほ)掘る岳こもたたみ平群(へぐり)の朝臣(あそ)我(ガ)鼻の上をほれ」、「万葉‐八九二」の「しもと取る 里長(さとをさ)我(ガ)声は 寝屋戸まで 来立ち呼ばひぬ」、「平家‐三」の「少将の形見にはよるの衾、康頼入道が形見には一部の法花経をぞとどめける」の例のように、その人物に対する親愛、軽侮、憎悪、卑下等の感情を伴い、「の」助詞が用いられた場合には敬意あるいは心理的距離が感じられる。第二に、受ける語の種類が「の」助詞より狭く、従ってその関係構成も狭い。ただし「が」助詞には、(一)(二)(三)を通じて「の」助詞の受け得ない活用語の連体形を受ける用法がある。ここに、「が」助詞が接続助詞にまで発展する可能性を秘めている。

[Notes] (Regarding sense (一) [genitive]): (1) Usage as a case particle (一) overlaps with the usage of particle の (no) in almost all cases, but functional differences between the particles naturally seem to suggest a subtle difference in use environment. In other words, for the attributive case usage in (一), 1) when preceded by a nominative indicating a person, we can infer a distinction in expressions of social treatment. Where the が (ga) particle is used, as in Man'yōshū (MYS) poen 3843 [text here], "いづくそ真朱(まそほ)掘る岳こもたたみ平群(へぐり)の朝臣(あそ)我(ガ)鼻の上をほれ"; or MYS poem 892 [text here, "しもと取る 里長(さとをさ)我(ガ)声は 寝屋戸まで 来立ち呼ばひぬ"; or The Tale of the Heike book three [text here], "少将の形見にはよるの衾、康頼入道が形見には一部の法花経をぞとどめける"; we see an accompanying sense of affection, contempt, loathing, or disparagement towards that person. Where the の (no) particle is used, there is a sense of respect or psychological distance. And 2), a narrower range of word types can take が (ga) than の (no), and as such, there is also a narrower range of relational formations. However, the particle が (ga) has usage patterns that can take the attributive forms of inflecting words, which the particle の (no) cannot take, in all three sense groupings (一)(二)(三). This may be the potential that gave rise to development of が (ga) as a conjunctive particle.

I'm out of time and brainpower, so I'll leave it at that. HTH, ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │^{Tala við mig} 01:04, 8 February 2020 (UTC)

In the absence of any further discussion here, and in the absence of any evidence I'm aware of for any *ka emphatic marker, I'm rejiggering the etymology to be less definite about this particular theory. ‑‑ Eiríkr Útlendi │^{Tala við mig} 21:31, 30 March 2021 (UTC)