Acta Linguistica Asiatica, 13(2), 2023.  
ISSN: 2232-3317, http://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/ala/ 
DOI: 10.4312/ala.13.2.115-122  
“Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, glasovni 
sustav i leksički slojevi”: Book Review 
Nina GOLOB 
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia 
nina.golob@ff.uni-lj.si 
Abstract 
“Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, glasovni sustav i leksički slojevi” is a 
groundbreaking work on Japanese linguistics written in Croatian language. The book’s primary 
contribution lies in its methodical exploration of diverse facets of the Japanese language and 
the accomplishments of linguistic research related to it, all while considering the perspective of 
Croatian and other Slavic languages. By delving into the language’s structure, grammar, and 
unique characteristics from a Japanese perspective, this monograph enriches the reader’s 
comprehension of the Japanese language. As a valuable resource, it caters to both Croatian-
speaking Japanese language students and those interested in general linguistics. The book 
comprises four informative chapters, along with an appendix that covers fundamental aspects 
of the Japanese writing system. 
Keywords: Japanese linguistics, monograph, Croatian language 
Povzetek 
“Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, glasovni sustav i leksički slojevi” 
predstavlja je pionirsko delo na področju japonskega jezikoslovja, napisano v hrvaškem jeziku. 
Glavni prispevek knjige leži v sistematičnem raziskovanju različnih vidikov japonskega jezika in 
dosežkov jezikoslovnih raziskav v zvezi z njim, ob upoštevanju perspektive hrvaškega in drugih 
slovanskih jezikov. Z raziskovanjem strukture jezika, slovnice in edinstvenih značilnosti iz 
japonskega vidika, ta monografija bogati bralčevo razumevanje japonskega jezika. Kot dragocen 
vir je knjiga namenjena hrvaškim študentom japonskega jezika in vsem, ki jih zanima splošna 
jezikoslovna tematika. Knjiga obsega štiri informativna poglavja in prilogo, ki obravnava 
osnovne vidike japonskega pisnega sistema. 
Ključne besede: japonsko jezikoslovje, monografija, hrvaški jezik 
116 Nina GOLOB 
1 Introduction 
The book “Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, glasovni sustav i 
leksički slojevi” marks a significant milestone in the field of Japanology, as it is the first 
scientific monograph written in Croatian, catering to the study of not only Japanese but 
also closely related South Slavic languages. This long-awaited work presents a 
comprehensive and lucid systematization of knowledge, combining both descriptive 
and theoretical perspectives. 
The monograph is organized into four chapters and an appendix, covering the 
following: 
Chapter 1 is an introduction to language study and the Japanese language. It offers 
an insightful overview of linguistic approaches and fundamental information about the 
Japanese language, its speakers, typological classification, and historical development. 
Chapter 2 explains basic characteristics of the Japanese language. With it, readers 
gain a clear and informative understanding of the distinctive features of the Japanese 
language, setting it apart from Slavic and Indo-European languages. Topics discussed 
include its agglutinative nature, the role of auxiliary particles, word order peculiarities, 
ellipsis, adversative passives, as well as the complexities of politeness and formality, 
which impact both morphosyntax and pragmatics. 
Chapter 3 is a part dedicated to phonetics and phonology of the Japanese language. 
It serves as an introductory guide to the sounds of language and covers essential 
concepts like phonemes, allophones, and phonotactic constraints. Through a 
contrastive approach, it highlights the similarities between Japanese and Croatian 
regarding phonemes. Additionally, prosodic units like mora and syllable are explored, 
and the accentual system is outlined with illustrative examples. 
Chapter 4 deals with the Japanese lexicon. It provides valuable insights into recent 
scientific discoveries by delving into the lexical layers of the Japanese language, namely 
native Japanese vocabulary, Sino-Japanese vocabulary, loanwords, and mimetic 
expressions separately. It also presents significant information about word formation 
processes in Japanese. 
Last but not least, the appendix supplements the monograph by describing the 
principles underlying the Japanese writing system, known for its intricacy. It includes a 
table with the Japanese phonetic script hiragana, along with two Latin transcriptions 
based on different principles, while also detailing the conventions of Latin transcription 
that reflect the structure of the Japanese sound system. 
The above-mentioned chapters will be discussed in detail below. 
 “Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, glasovni … 117 
2 Chapter 1: “Uvod u znanost o jezicima i japanskom jeziku” 
A human language is a complex and intricate system of communication that is unique 
to humans, setting us apart from other species. It encompasses the use of sounds, 
gestures, symbols, and rules to convey meaning and express thoughts, ideas, emotions, 
and information among individuals within a community.  
The first chapter nicely summarizes various classic perspectives on human 
language as a phenomenon and serves as a good introduction to the field of linguistics, 
a multifaceted discipline that explores the structure, evolution, and use of language in 
all its forms and variations. The authors are well aware of the vastness of the linguistic 
field; therefore, they narrow down the topic throughout the narrative from various 
perspectives (genealogical, historical, geographical, social, etc.) to the scope of the 
linguistic approach to the Japanese language, which they will address throughout the 
entire book.   
Furthermore, the authors provide a detailed description and illustrate with 
examples various linguistic disciplines. Notably, the inclusion of Croatian and Japanese 
linguistic concepts enhances the book’s value, making it a significant contribution to 
specialized terminology in both languages.  
In addition, there is a very informative subsection that discusses the historical 
circumstances (political, professional, etc.) of the formation of the terms “kokugo” and 
“Nihongo.” Furthermore, it covers the linguistic approaches of “kokugogaku” and 
“nihongogaku,” which further introduce the field of teaching Japanese as a second 
language. 
Undoubtedly, the chapter stands out for its wealth of information, skillfully 
drawing from classical works on Japanese linguistics as well as the latest cutting-edge 
research. 
3 Chapter 2: “Osnovna obilježja japanskog jezika” 
Linguistic typology is the study of the common structural features and patterns found 
across languages, classifying them into different types based on shared characteristics. 
Japanese, within the context of linguistic typology, is categorized as a member of the 
“subject-object-verb” (SOV) language type. This means that in Japanese sentences, the 
typical word order is subject-object-verb, where the subject comes first, followed by 
the object, and the verb appears at the end. Additionally, Japanese is known for its 
extensive use of honorifics and politeness levels, which influence not only vocabulary 
but also the overall structure of speech. As a member of the Japonic language family, 
Japanese exhibits unique grammatical features, such as a complex system of verb 
conjugations and particles that play crucial roles in indicating grammatical relationships. 
118 Nina GOLOB 
Its distinct characteristics make Japanese a fascinating subject for linguistic typology 
studies and contribute to the rich tapestry of language diversity worldwide. 
In this book, the authors skillfully present a wealth of linguistic facts that form the 
foundation for detailed explanations of morphology and syntax, which are consistently 
explored throughout Chapter 2. The constant comparisons drawn between Japanese 
and Croatian morphological and syntactic structures enrich the reader’s understanding 
of both languages, fostering a deeper appreciation of their similarities and differences. 
One of the noteworthy sections in this chapter delves into the intricacies of 
Japanese social structure, interpersonal relationships, and social deixis of the language. 
The authors offer precise insights into how politeness and respect are conveyed 
through linguistic forms, as well as the usage of passive structures and verbs related to 
giving and receiving. This section proves particularly valuable for both local readers 
seeking to gain a profound grasp of the cultural intricacies embedded in the language 
and general readers eager to comprehend the complexities of Japanese social 
dynamics. 
Another key highlight is the examination of different types of modality in Japanese, 
which plays a vital role in adding subtle shades of meaning to language. The authors 
skillfully illustrate how modality enhances communication, making it more contextually 
appropriate and nuanced. By providing several representative examples and main 
references, this section serves as an informative resource for language enthusiasts 
looking to explore the expressive potential of modality in Japanese communication. 
It is important to recognize the interconnections between various linguistic levels. 
By demonstrating that these levels are not isolated entities, the authors underline the 
necessity of a comprehensive understanding of the grammatical domain for truly 
grasping the Japanese language within its natural context. This holistic approach 
enables learners to utilize the language successfully and coherently, appreciating the 
intricate interplay of linguistic elements in everyday communication. 
While Chapter 2 provides valuable insights into the essential grammatical features 
from different linguistic disciplines, it does so within a relatively concise space of 
approximately 30 pages. This brevity, while expected in a comprehensive study of the 
language, may leave some language enthusiasts yearning for further in-depth 
exploration and analysis. Despite this limitation, the chapter remains a valuable 
stepping stone for readers seeking a solid foundation in Japanese linguistics. 
4 Chapter 3: “Glasovni sustav japanskog jezika” 
Spoken language is recognized as the foremost of human communication and a primary 
generator of language changes. Least embedded in the rigidness of a written record, it 
holds up a mirror not only to its own but also to morphological, syntactic, pragmatic, 
 “Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, glasovni … 119 
and other language processes. Its important role is adequately demonstrated in the 
chapter on Japanese sound structure (“Glasovni sustav japanskog jezika”), which 
consists of more than forty pages of concisely described Japanese segmental and 
prosodic information. Nicely incorporating bits of linguistic theories, the author 
provides readers with a coherent explanation of the Japanese sounds, their 
phonological system, and some morphophonological processes, discusses the Japanese 
basic prosodic unit, and ties it up with prosodic characteristics such as Japanese word 
accent and rhythm. Throughout the chapter – as well as the whole book –, explanations 
are well illustrated by numerous examples and comparisons with Croatian and are 
therefore expected to well serve both the students of Japanese and researchers on the 
Japanese language.    
In the introductory part, it is stated clearly that the languages of description and 
comparison are the Standard Japanese and Standard Croatian language.  
   The reader’s attention is immediately drawn by an interesting approach, in which 
the author uses some Croatian geographical names and transliterates them into 
Japanese in order to compare the phonetic composition of the two languages. This 
approach seems to have a weakness in the sense that the arbitrariness between a 
spoken language and its writing system might leave the impression that the difference 
between the two language sound systems is bigger than actual. Also, although the 
adoption of words seems to be a one-way process, namely that the adopted words 
would take over the phonology of the target language, we know that with adopted 
words the sound repertoire of the Japanese language is also expanding (the 
appearance of palatalized sounds into the Japanese language, the need for expansion 
of the katakana character system, etc.). While both weaknesses are dealt with in the 
phonetic and phonological explanation, active sound changes in a language could 
receive more attention and could offer a reader stronger cross-references to the 
chapter on the Japanese writing system. Understandably, current language processes 
are usually weakly represented in the literature and it is difficult to set the appropriate 
depth of introduction.  
   Cross-references to other book chapters could also be emphasized in other 
subsections such as the section on morphophonological processes. The author would 
thus better demonstrate the mutual interaction between phonological processes and 
those at other linguistic levels. 
   Such mutual interactions are nevertheless reported strong within phonology 
itself, between segmental and suprasegmental processes. As one of the consequences 
is the formation of the moraic unit as the basic prosodic unit in the Japanese language, 
which is presented in this work clearly, in a well-balanced manner, and independent of 
different linguistic views. The prosodic part thus starts with an explanation of Japanese 
rhythm and nicely bridges it with traditional poetry, language games, and other 
paralinguistic aspects. There is a detailed description of the Japanese pitch accent, its 
120 Nina GOLOB 
basic characteristics, and some extensions to the accentuation on compounds. 
Interesting is the last remark on the current accentual deviances, which leaves a reader 
wanting to know more about Japanese accentuation.  
   In the end, a section on intonation would round the topic down to the level of 
the actual production of Japanese. On the other hand, it is well-known that intonation 
is in itself treated as an autonomous grammar, and is perhaps left out on purpose to 
become a separate volume.     
5 Chapter 4: “Leksik japanskog jezika” 
Understanding and possessing a rich lexicon, comprising a vast array of words and 
expressions, holds significant power in shaping how people interact, perceive the world, 
and express their thoughts and emotions. 
Japanese, a fascinating language with a rich cultural heritage, exhibits a unique 
lexical structure that has evolved over centuries of historical and cultural interactions. 
Within the Japanese language, we encounter diverse lexical strata, namely the original 
Japanese or Yamato stratum (  wago), Sino-Japanese stratum (  kango), 
Western loans (  gairaigo) each representing layers of vocabulary borrowed 
from various sources and assimilated to Japanese in particular ways as in hybrid 
compounds (  konshugo), which are – interesting and welcome – in this book 
treated as an independent lexical stratum.  
These lexical strata thoroughly described in Chapter 4 (“Leksik japanskog jezika”) 
provide valuable insights into Japan's historical connections with neighboring cultures 
and the global exchange of ideas which stimulates the reader’s desire for a deeper 
understanding of Japanese history, society, and evolution of the Japanese language.  
The examination of morphological characteristics unveils a multi-layered 
landscape, showcasing the fusion of native Japanese words from the Yamato stratum 
with borrowed terms from the Sino-Japanese and Western loans. The authors skillfully 
illustrate how these different morphological elements blend harmoniously to express 
various concepts, reflecting Japan's historical connections with neighboring cultures. 
Moving on to phonological aspects, the chapter explores how the pronunciation 
and phonetic structure of words from the diverse strata have integrated into Japanese 
phonology. The intricate interplay of sounds and accents demonstrates how the 
language has adapted and assimilated foreign influences, resulting in a unique 
phonological repertoire that resonates with both tradition and modernity. 
The exploration of semantic characteristics is equally fascinating, as the authors 
delve into the subtle nuances of meaning found within each lexical stratum. It would 
be worth noting that native Japanese words carry cultural connotations and evoke a 
 “Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, glasovni … 121 
sense of heritage, whereas Sino-Japanese words bring in complex and formal 
expressions, enriching academic and literary domains. Additionally, the infusion of 
Western loans brings a touch of modernity and global perspectives, bridging Japan with 
the broader international community. 
Perhaps a shortcoming that did not go unnoticed is that mimetic vocabulary was 
left unmentioned in the chapter. Mimetic vocabulary is well-represented in the 
Japanese language and, like other lexical strata, exhibits distinctive phonological, 
morphological, and syntactic features. The authors likely omitted it with the intention 
of addressing it as a separate extensive topic, which it indeed deserves. 
6 Appendix: “Japanska grafija” 
In the realm of world languages, the Japanese script stands out as one of the most 
captivating and intricate systems. Drawing inspiration from Chinese characters, where 
kanji characters are used to represent their tonal and monosyllabic language, Japan 
faced the challenge of adapting this script to its own agglutinative language. With its 
rich multi-syllabic and polymorphic vocabulary, which includes inflectional word types, 
the Japanese writing system underwent extensive modifications to find its perfect 
match. 
In the appendix on Japanese Graphemes (“Japanska grafija”), the evolution of the 
Japanese script and its necessary adaptations was well illustrated with examples. This 
seamless integration of various writing systems eloquently illustrates the diverse 
Japanese lexical strata explored in the preceeding chapter.  
However, one can’t help but wonder if the authors could have delved deeper into 
this aspect, particularly regarding recently borrowed words, which find their expression 
in katakana. This part of the Japanese lexicon proves to be a dynamic soundscape, 
sparking new combinations of characters beyond the foundational set of 50 characters 
(50  gojūonzu). A notable observation is that the introductory glimpse into the 
third chapter mainly excludes the newer, more complex katakana characters. This 
suggests a deliberate decision by the authors, possibly reserving a comprehensive 
exploration of this vast topic for a future installment in the series.  
The concluding part of the appendix brings to light two romanization systems: the 
widely embraced Hepburn system, commonly found in Japanese language textbooks 
for foreign learners, and the phonologically-grounded Kunrei system. To enhance the 
reader’s understanding, a more explicit connection between the latter and the 
preceding chapters on Japanese lexicon and pronunciation, along with phonological 
processes at the phonetic level, would be highly beneficial. The Kunrei system 
effectively demonstrates consonant deviations between spelling and pronunciation, as 
well as the relationships between phonemes and their distinct allophones. 
122 Nina GOLOB 
7 Concluding thoughts 
The scientific monograph “Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, 
glasovni sustav i leksički slojevi” serves as a groundbreaking exploration of the Japanese 
language, introducing new content and terminology into the Croatian language. The 
book provides a comprehensive overview of the Japanese language, examining it at all 
linguistic levels, from phonetics and syntax to semantics, pragmatics, and 
sociolinguistics. Understanding the cultural and societal differences between Japanese 
and European languages becomes essential, making the latter aspects indispensable. 
The monograph not only embraces contemporary general linguistic and 
Japanological perspectives but also includes insights from traditional Japanese 
linguistics. These contrasting interpretations, particularly from the standpoint of 
Croatian and other Shtokavian languages, offer valuable insights. Additionally, the book 
contributes to the field of applied linguistics. 
While discourse studies could be more prominently represented, this minor 
drawback doesn’t diminish the overall value of the book. It presents stimulating ideas 
for further comparative research in Croatia and the broader realm of Slavic languages, 
making it a rich resource for interdisciplinary work. Finally, the label “Volume 1” (“I. 
svezak”) on the cover suggests that this book is merely the first in a series of 
monographs on Japanese linguistics. Therefore, readers can look forward to more 
detailed explorations of specific linguistic aspects of the Japanese language in the 
future. 
In essence, the publication of this book represents a significant and crucial first 
step in integrating the Japanese language and its linguistic form into the Croatian 
pedagogical and scientific community. Scholars and language enthusiasts alike will find 
immense value in yet another exploration of Japanese linguistics. 
References 
Srdanović, I., & Špica, D. (2022). Uvod u znanost o japanskom jeziku: Osnovna obilježja, 
glasovni sustav i leksički slojevi. Pula: Filozofski fakultet u Puli.