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The Goguryeo language was spoken in the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo (37 BC – AD 668), one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The language is also known as Koguryo, Koguryoic, and Koguryoan. It is unknown except for a small number of words, which mostly suggest that it was similar but not identical to the language of Silla, and influenced by the Tungusic languages. Supporters of the Altaic language family often classify the Goguryeo language as a member of that language family. Most Korean linguists believe that Goguryeo language was closest to the Altaic languages. Striking similarities between Baekje and Goguryeo can also be found, which is consistent with the legends that describe Baekje being founded by the sons of Goguryeo's founder. The Goguryeo names for government posts are mostly similar to those of Baekje and Silla. There are some hypotheses on the classification of the Goguryeo language which is disputed at the present time. [1] Some linguists propose the so-called "Buyeo languages" family that includes the languages of Buyeo, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Old Japanese. Chinese records suggest that the languages of Goguryeo, Buyeo, East Okjeo, and Gojoseon were similar, while the Goguryeo language differed significantly from that of Malgal (Mohe)^[1]^[2]^[3]

Some words of Goguryeo origin can be found in the old Korean language (early 10th to late 14th century) but most were soon replaced with ones of Silla origin.

Grammatical particle / suffix
Case	Goguryeo	Turkish	Mongol	Old Japanese	Japanese	Baekje	Silla	Middle Korean	Korean	Jurchen	Manchu
nominative	-i	***	***	***	***	***	***	-i	-i	***	***
genitive	nə	-(n)in -(n)ın -(n)un -(n)ün	-iyn -y -n	nə	no	***	***	-nʲ	-ne* (dialect)	-ngge -ngga -nggo(genitive)	-ngge -ngga -nggo (adjective-forming suffix)
genitive	si	***	***	si	***	***	-s -ʌi -i	***	***	***	ci(ablative)
locative	nɐrɐ	***	***	nite	***	***	***	nɐr	***	***	***

[edit] Notes

^ Fan Ye, Book of the Later Han, volume 85; the Dongyi Liezhuan
^ Wei Shou, Book of Wei, volume 100; the Liezhuan 88, the Wuji
^ Li Dashi, History of Northern Dynasties, volume 94; the Liezhuan 82, the Wuji

[edit] Further reading

Beckwith, C. I. (2004). Koguryo, the language of Japan's continental relatives: an introduction to the historical-comparative study of the Japanese Koguryoic languages with a preliminary description of Archaic northeastern Middle Chinese. Brill's Japanese studies library, v. 21. Boston: Brill. ISBN 9004139494
Beckwith (2006). "Methodological Observations on Some Recent Studies of the Early Ethnolinguistic History of Korea and Vicinity." Altai Hakpo 2006, 16: 199-234.
Beckwith (2006). "The Ethnolinguistic History of the Early Korean Peninsula Region: Japanese-Koguryoic and Other Languages in the Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla Kingdoms." Journal of Inner and East Asian Studies, 2006, Vol. 2-2: 34-64.
Beckwith (2007): Koguryo, the Language of Japan's Continental Relatives: An Introduction to the Historical-Comparative Study of the Japanese-Koguryoic Languages, with a Preliminary Description of Archaic Northeastern Middle Chinese. Brill Academic Publishers, 2004. ISBN 90-04-13949-4. Second edition, 2007. ISBN 90-04-16025-5
http://thomaspellard.ryukyu.googlepages.com/reviewKoguryro.pdf

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Japanese

[edit] Korean

[edit] English

The Language(s) of Goguryeo - Journal of Inner and East Asian Studies

[0] Fan Ye, Book of the Later Han, volume 85; the Dongyi Liezhuan

[1] Wei Shou, Book of Wei, volume 100; the Liezhuan 88, the Wuji

[2] Li Dashi, History of Northern Dynasties, volume 94; the Liezhuan 82, the Wuji

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[2]

[3]

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