Diego Collado’s Grammar of the Japanese Language is an English translation of a pioneering grammar first published in 1632 by the Dominican missionary Diego Collado. Composed to aid Catholic missionaries in Japan, it is one of the earliest European descriptions of the Japanese language.
The work reflects the missionary linguistics of the period, when friars studied Japanese to carry on their evangelization despite mounting persecution. It is a valuable document for the history of both Christian missions and the study of Japanese by Europeans. This free EPUB edition makes the translated grammar available for reading and study on any device.