Takao Yamada

A scholar of Japanese language, literature, and history. Born in Toyama Prefecture. After dropping out of Toyama Junior High School, he obtained a teaching license almost entirely by self-study, and taught at elementary and junior high schools in various regions. He served as an assistant member of the National Language Research Committee and a lecturer at Nihon University before becoming a professor at Tohoku Imperial University. After retiring from the government, he became president of Jingu Kogakuin University, a member of the House of Peers, and director of the National History Editing Institute. In 1953 (Showa 28), he was awarded the Person of Cultural Merit, and in 1957, the Order of Culture. He maintained an attitude that could be called the last scholar of Japanese language, and conducted a wide range of research activities in Japanese language, literature, history, and philology. He is particularly famous for his research on grammar, also known as Yamada grammar. He presented his theoretical system in "Nihon bunpo-ron" (1908), and expanded and elaborated on it in "Nihon bunpo-kou" (1922), "Nihon bunpo-gaku yoron" (1931), "Nihon bunpo-gaku gaion" (1936), and other works. His psychological theories of grammar that emphasized meaning, such as the theory of sentence formation based on the concept of "statement," the theory of parts of speech, and the classification of phrases (sentences) into two major categories, "predicate phrases" and "invoking phrases," had a great influence on the field of grammar thereafter. In works such as "Nara-cho grammar history" (1913), "Heian-cho grammar history" (1913), and "Heike Monogatari ni tsuite no kenkyu" (Studies on the Tale of the Heike) (1911, 1913), he organized the idioms of each era in a descriptive manner based on his own grammatical system, thus establishing the foundation for research on grammatical history. He also pioneered new fields in grammar with works such as "Keigo-ho no kenkyu" (Study on honorific language) (1924) and "Kanbun no kundoku ni oketeraretaru goho" (Study on grammar as transmitted by reading Chinese classics in Japanese) (1935). He also opened up new fields in Japanese language research with works such as "Kana-zukai no hiragana (History of Kana-zukai)" (1929), "Gojuon-zu no hiragana (History of the Fifty-Sound Chart)" (1938), and "Kokugo no naka ni okeru kango no kenkyu" (Studies on Chinese words in Japanese) (1940). He also wrote "An Outline of the History of Japanese Linguistics" (1935). In the field of Japanese literature, he wrote "A Study of the Tale of the Heike" (1911) and many other meticulous annotations and studies. In the field of Japanese history, he wrote "The True Meaning of Japanese Studies" (1939) and "The Japanese Spirit as Revealed in National History" (1941), among others, in which he advocated nationalism. He also presented nationalistic arguments on the issue of the national language in works such as "The Fundamental Principles of Respecting the National Language" (1938). In the field of philology, he also made great contributions through his research into ancient documents, his efforts in compiling indexes for many old dictionaries and classical books, and his efforts in the reproduction and publication of these books.

[Yasuyuki Shimizu October 19, 2018]

“Introduction to Japanese Grammar” (1984, Hobunkan Publishing)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

国語学者、国文学者、歴史学者。富山県生まれ。富山中学校中退後、ほとんど独学で教員免許を取得し各地の小・中学校教諭を勤め、国語調査委員会補助委員、日本大学講師などを経て、東北帝国大学教授。退官後、神宮皇学館大学学長、貴族院議員、国史編修院長。1953年（昭和28）に文化功労者、1957年に文化勲章を受章。最後の国学者ともいうべき姿勢を貫き、国語学、国文学、国史学、文献学などにわたり広範な研究活動を行った。なかでも山田文法とも称される文法研究が名高い。『日本文法論』（1908）でその理論体系を示し、『日本文法講義』（1922）、『日本文法学要論』（1931）、『日本文法学概論』（1936）などで展開敷衍(ふえん)した。「陳述」の概念を軸とした文成立論や品詞論、「述体句」「喚体句」に二大別する句（文）分類論など、意味を重視する心理主義的な彼の文法論は、その後の文法学界に大きな影響を与えた。『奈良朝文法史』（1913）、『平安朝文法史』（1913）、『平家物語につきての研究』（1911、1913）などでは、各時代の語法を自らの文法体系により記述的に整理し、文法史研究の基礎を築いた。また『敬語法の研究』（1924）、『漢文の訓読によりて伝へられたる語法』（1935）などで文法学の新領域を開拓した。さらに『仮名遣の歴史』（1929）、『五十音図の歴史』（1938）、『国語の中に於(お)ける漢語の研究』（1940）などで国語学研究の新方面を開いた。『国語学史要』（1935）もある。国文学の分野では『平家物語考』（1911）ほか、周到な注釈・研究を多数著した。国史学では『国学の本義』（1939）、『国史に現はれた日本精神』（1941）などを著し、国粋主義を唱道した。国語問題についても『国語尊重の根本義』（1938）などで国粋主義的な論を展開した。文献学の面では古文献の調査研究、多くの古辞書、古典籍の索引編纂(へんさん)や複製刊行に尽力した功績も大きい。

［清水康行　2018年10月19日］

『『日本文法学概論』（1984・宝文館出版）』

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