work was founded on a small vocabulary collected by two Japanese and called Moshiogusa.[1] I have studied the book through very carefully, testing its contents word by word throughout among the Ainu themselves, the result being that I fully agree with Prof. Chamberlain who writes of it as follows:[2]
“Considering that this grammar was founded on little else than one imperfectly printed Japanese vocabulary, the “Moshiogusa,” the results obtained by the Austrian servant are truly marvellous. One only regrets, when perusing it, that a fraction of the vast trouble taken in collating each passage, comparing each word, noting each apparent grammatical phenomenon, should not have been devoted to a journey to Ainu[3] land itself, where a few months’ converse with the natives would have abridged the labour of years,—would indeed not only have abridged the labour but have rendered the result so much more trustworthy. As it is, Dr. Pfizmaier's “Untersuchungen” is rather a monument of learned industry, than a guide calculated to lead the student safely to his journey's end. The circumstances under which Dr. Pfizmaier worked were such as to render success impossible.”
In 1875 M. M. Dobrotvorsky published his Ainsko-Russkiŭ Slovar. This look is a revision of his brother's original work on the Ainu language and includes the “Untersuchungen” here referred to. Unfortunately the work has been spoiled in part by comprehending in it words from too many sources, some of which
- ↑ By Uehara Kumajiro and Abe Chōzaburō; 1804.
- ↑ Memories of the Literature college, Imperial University of Japan. Vol. I. Page 1.
- ↑ Prof. Chamberlain always wrote Aino but I have taken the liberty of changing the spelling into Ainu (which means “man”) wherever I have quoted him in this book so as to bring it into uniformity with the rest of this Grammar; for the people always speak of themselves as Ainu not Aino. Aino is an old Japanese way of calling this race. Dobrotvorsky also notes that the word Aino is a corruption of Ainu which he defines as “man.” With regard to this it is interesting to remark that the Eskimo call themselves innuit, “man”; the Moki Indians of Arizona call themselves hopi, “man,” and that Delaware Indians apply to themselves the term lennilenape, i.e. “men of men.” All Japanese official documents now have Ainu instead of Aino.
