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is a stage of the Japanese language following Early Middle Japanese and preceding Early Modern Japanese.〔Shibatani (1990: 119)〕 It is a period of transition in which the language sheds many of its archaic features and becomes closer to its modern form. The period spanned roughly 500 years extending from the 12th century through the 16th century. It is customarily split into an Early and Late division.〔Nakata (1972: 175)〕 Politically, the first half of Late Middle Japanese consists of the end of the Heian period known as ''Insei'' and the Kamakura period; the second half of Late Middle Japanese consists of the Muromachi period. ==Background== The end of the 12th century was a time of transition from the aristocratic society of the nobles in the Heian period to the feudalistic society of the warrior class. Accompanying this change, the political center moved with establishment of various shogunates in the east. Various new Buddhist movements began and literacy increased due their spread.〔Kondō (2005: 97)〕 In the middle of 16th century, Portuguese missionaries arrived in Japan. While introducing western concepts and technology, they also shared their language. Various Portuguese loanwords entered the language.〔Shibatani (1990: 121)〕 In an attempt to spread their religion, the Portuguese missionaries studied and learned Japanese. They created a number of linguistic grammars, dictionaries, and even translated some of their literature. These resources have proven extremely valuable in Late Middle Japanese studies. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Late Middle Japanese」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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