11-26-2023, 09:41 PM
The emergence of ‘Transeurasian’ language families in Northeast Asia as viewed from archaeological evidence
Kazuo Miyamoto 2022
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10426040/
Abstract:
From a linguistic standpoint, Proto-Japonic and Proto-Koreanic are assumed to have split off the Transeurasian languages in southern Manchuria. The linguistic idea that Proto-Japonic came earlier than Proto-Koreanic in the chronological scheme means that the Proto-Japonic language first entered the Korean Peninsula, and from there spread to the Japanese archipelago at the beginning of the Yayoi period, around the ninth century BC, while the arrival of Proto-Koreanic in southern Korea is associated with the spread of the rolled rim vessel culture around the fifth century BC. The genealogical sequence of the Pianpu, Mumun and Yayoi cultures, which shared the same pottery production techniques, indicates the spread of Proto-Japonic. On the other hand, migrants moved from Liaodong to the Korean Peninsula and established the rolled rim vessel culture. This population movement was probably due to social and political reasons as the Yan state enlarged its territory eastward. The Proto-Koreanic of the rolled rim vessel culture later spread to the Korean Peninsula and gradually drove out Proto-Japonic, becoming the predecessor of the Koreanic. In this paper, I examine the spread of Proto-Japonic and Proto-Koreanic in Northeast Asia based on archaeological evidence, focusing especially on the genealogy of pottery styles and pottery production techniques.
I was happy to see this collaboration between Prof. Miyamoto and Prof. Robbeets which provides a much needed correction to the newly proposed model of Transeurasian (Altaic) language dispersal. Let me briefly summarize the main points.
The original Robbeets model had Koreanic entering the Korean peninsula as far back as ~3500BCE with the earliest evidence for millet cultivation and a much later entry of Japonic during the Mumun pottery period ~1500BCE. But this scenario never sat well with the archaeology, which shows no clear evidence of a mass population movement into Korea so early. Instead, as demonstrated by Miyamoto's analysis of archaeological cultures, Japonic arrived in Korea first from the Eastern Liao region with the Pianpu culture ~2700 in Liaodong, which later evolved into the Mumun pottery culture in Korea. This movement can be associated with climatic disruptions around this time, but not with the initial spread of farming to Korea. Rather the Mumun culture introduced new farming techniques, like swidden agriculture and wet field rice farming, to Korea.
The pottery evidence also points to Koreanic as a later arrival in the Korean peninsula, originating with "the Liangquan Culture or the Yinjiacun second stage in the Liaodong district in Manchuria." From Liadong, under the pressure of the expanding Chinese state of Yan, there is evidence of the transference of pottery techniques into Korea with the Jeomtodae rolled rim vessel culture ~500BCE and the development of the distinctive Korean bronze dagger tradition.
All in all, the evidence presented here points temptingly towards a Japono-Koreanic unity in the East Liao region from at least the early third millennium BCE. This, in turn, lends support to the possibility of earlier linguistic unities in the Liao region which brings us back to the Transeurasian hypothesis. With some recent interesting aDNA results, I can say that I have become much more welcoming to this hypothesis as of late, and I think it is certainly deserving of more investigation with the recruitment of archaeological expertise as in this article. As always, more aDNA is badly needed!
Kazuo Miyamoto 2022
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10426040/
Abstract:
From a linguistic standpoint, Proto-Japonic and Proto-Koreanic are assumed to have split off the Transeurasian languages in southern Manchuria. The linguistic idea that Proto-Japonic came earlier than Proto-Koreanic in the chronological scheme means that the Proto-Japonic language first entered the Korean Peninsula, and from there spread to the Japanese archipelago at the beginning of the Yayoi period, around the ninth century BC, while the arrival of Proto-Koreanic in southern Korea is associated with the spread of the rolled rim vessel culture around the fifth century BC. The genealogical sequence of the Pianpu, Mumun and Yayoi cultures, which shared the same pottery production techniques, indicates the spread of Proto-Japonic. On the other hand, migrants moved from Liaodong to the Korean Peninsula and established the rolled rim vessel culture. This population movement was probably due to social and political reasons as the Yan state enlarged its territory eastward. The Proto-Koreanic of the rolled rim vessel culture later spread to the Korean Peninsula and gradually drove out Proto-Japonic, becoming the predecessor of the Koreanic. In this paper, I examine the spread of Proto-Japonic and Proto-Koreanic in Northeast Asia based on archaeological evidence, focusing especially on the genealogy of pottery styles and pottery production techniques.
I was happy to see this collaboration between Prof. Miyamoto and Prof. Robbeets which provides a much needed correction to the newly proposed model of Transeurasian (Altaic) language dispersal. Let me briefly summarize the main points.
The original Robbeets model had Koreanic entering the Korean peninsula as far back as ~3500BCE with the earliest evidence for millet cultivation and a much later entry of Japonic during the Mumun pottery period ~1500BCE. But this scenario never sat well with the archaeology, which shows no clear evidence of a mass population movement into Korea so early. Instead, as demonstrated by Miyamoto's analysis of archaeological cultures, Japonic arrived in Korea first from the Eastern Liao region with the Pianpu culture ~2700 in Liaodong, which later evolved into the Mumun pottery culture in Korea. This movement can be associated with climatic disruptions around this time, but not with the initial spread of farming to Korea. Rather the Mumun culture introduced new farming techniques, like swidden agriculture and wet field rice farming, to Korea.
The pottery evidence also points to Koreanic as a later arrival in the Korean peninsula, originating with "the Liangquan Culture or the Yinjiacun second stage in the Liaodong district in Manchuria." From Liadong, under the pressure of the expanding Chinese state of Yan, there is evidence of the transference of pottery techniques into Korea with the Jeomtodae rolled rim vessel culture ~500BCE and the development of the distinctive Korean bronze dagger tradition.
All in all, the evidence presented here points temptingly towards a Japono-Koreanic unity in the East Liao region from at least the early third millennium BCE. This, in turn, lends support to the possibility of earlier linguistic unities in the Liao region which brings us back to the Transeurasian hypothesis. With some recent interesting aDNA results, I can say that I have become much more welcoming to this hypothesis as of late, and I think it is certainly deserving of more investigation with the recruitment of archaeological expertise as in this article. As always, more aDNA is badly needed!