о книжке Александра Вовина "A Reconstruction Of Proto-Ainu"
http://linguistics.byu.edu/classes/ling450...eports/ainu.htm " Alexander Vovin, who reconstructed the phonology and the vocabulary of Proto-Ainu, has the view that Ainu language came from Southeast Asia. After completing his comparative studies on Proto-Ainu and Southeast Asian languages, Vovin states that the most distinctive characteristics of Ainu from neighbor languages, such as Korean or Gilyak, are those of the initial consonant cluster and the rich vowel systems. Through the reconstruction of Proto-Ainu, Vovin found that Proto-Ainu had a richer vowel system than modern Ainu, and that several initial consonant clusters (pr-, tr-, hr-,ty- and hd) had been lost in modern Ainu (Vovin 1993, 176). These characteristics of a rich vowel system and consonant clusters are not common to North-Asia.
Vovin's reconstruction of Proto-Ainu vowel systems (Vovin 1993, 42)
Another important evidence Vovin indicates are the Proto-Ainuís distinctive features of front /a/ and back /A/; these can not be found anywhere in North-Asia. Another point is both Proto-Ainu and modern Ainu have initial /r/ features that do not exist in north-Asia languages (Vovin 1993, 156). However, all these characteristics we have seen above are common in Southeast Asia.
Vovin also used cultural similarities to support his hypothesis of the relation between Ainu and Southeast Asia and saying;
Besides the cult of the bear, which is definitely of Siberian origin, the Ainu also had the cult of the snake, which definitely preceded the former. The cult of the snake is not seen in Siberia, but it is widespread in Southeast Asia. The same is the case with the cult of the sword, which also has a definite Southern origin. Neighboring Manchu-Tungus people and the Nivkh use the compound bow, while the Ainu used the simple bow that again is typical for Southeast Asia. None of the Ainu neighbors used the loin-cloth as the only garment during the summer, and none of them used poison arrow. All these features exist only in the far more southern regions (Vovin 1993, 162).
Based on all these evidences, Vovin concluded the origin of Ainu is somewhere in Southeast Asia. Vovin listed three possibilities;
Is Proto-Ainu related to Proto-Austronesian (PAN)?
Is Proto-Ainu related to Proto-Austroasiatic (PAA)?
Is Proto-Ainu related to Proto-Miao-Yao (PMY)?
(Vovin 1993,163)
Out of three possibilities 1) and 3) were dropped because Vovin could not find similar parallels that can attest the genetic relationship of between those two Proto-languages and Proto-Ainu. The question of 1) and 3) should be delayed to the future till both PAN and PMY will be clearer. However, regarding to 2) Vovin illustrated phonetical correspondences between the Proto-Ainu and Proto-Austroasiatic.
Phonetic correspondences between Proto-Ainu and Proto-Austroasiatic
PA PAA
*p *p
*-p- *-W-
*P *b
*m *m
*-O *-m
*t *t
*-t *-s
*-t *-t
*tr- *sl-
*tr- *tr-
*d *d
*hd *?d
*n *n
*t *c
*s *q(?)
*s *s
*y- *j
*-y- *-y-
*r *r
*r *l
*k *k
*g *g
*VqV *Vh
*-vO *-Vh
*-n=C *-h
*hr- *hl-
*-O *-h ...
Vovin strongly felt there were genetic ties between PA and PAA. Borrowing was probably not common between PA and PAA because they were not immediate neighbors. Vovin feels that comparison of PA and PAA is the key to solve Ainu affiliation, and he states that reconstruction of Proto-language is essential to search the origin of Ainu language. I have gone through many books and articles and found that Vovin is the only person who has tried reconstruction of the Ainu language. Vovin states:
This search should not involve straight comparisons of the modern forms in different language families. The only way to clarify obscure prehistoric relations between language is to compare reconstructions. Using my reconstruction, I can definitely say that Proto-Ainu is unrelated to any of the neighboring languages. Even its ties with the Nivkh language, which are deeper than with any other language in the region, are probably due to the centuries of mutual contact, rather than common origin (Vovin 1993, 175).
Ainu relation to Southeast Asia hypothesis is supported by many archaeologists also. According to Peter Geiser, who is a professor of Sociology, Ainu may have migrated from the south and reached Honshu. Mongoloid traits also migrated to Honshu from Korea, and the Ainu and Mongols have mixed in blood, so the Ainu may have Mongoloid trait characteristics. However, Ainuís ancestors were still placed in Southeast Asia.
The Ainu and the Polynesians have a common origin and belong neither to the Caucasian nor to the Mongolian race, although they possess some characteristics of both..ÖÖthe Ainu and the Polynesians had a common, ancient ancestry. Although a relatively late Mongolian admixture occurred, the Ainu have a marked physical resemblance to the Australoid. Moreover, there appear to be common cultural elements that have persisted despite the variant influences that they received during their long trek to the north. It is asserted that the Ainuís material culture, including clothing, handcraft, household implements, weapons, ornament, religious ceremony and cult have a strong resemblance to those of people living in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Melanesia (Peng ed.1977, 9[Levin 1958, 271-2]).
Out of all the reading, I enjoyed Vovinís evidence the most. I found many books and articles on the Ainu language, but most of them are not scientific. Most scholars picked out some words and tried to explain the relationship between Ainu and other languages. Vovin had tried reconstructing Proto-Ainu and gave interesting evidence. Since the modern Ainu do not live in southern parts of Japan, many scholars locate the origin of the Ainu on the northern neighboring countries of Hokkaido. However, I found many archeologist talked about the Ainu who lived in all parts of Japan long ago. As in the book of Koyabe Zenichiro, who wrote a book about the origin of the Japanese race, there are many interesting evidences that the Ainu may have inhabited all parts of the Japanese islands. One example is that almost all names of places in Japan, even the farthest South Island of Kyushu, are originated from the Ainu language. Koyabe listed about 60 names of places that came from the Ainu language (Koyabe 1982, 101-130). Koyabeís evidence backs up the Southeast Asia hypothesis. Ainu might have come from those south islands through Taiwan, Okinawa, and Kyushu, northward to Honshu, and finally arriving in Hokkaido. "
