Linguist Haruhiko Kindaichi died of a stroke Wednesday at a hospital in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, his family said. He was 91.
Kindaichi, son of well-known linguist Kyosuke Kindaichi, graduated from the University of Tokyo and was a professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and Sophia University. He was known for his research into dialects and accents.
He had been in a coma since collapsing Sunday at his vacation home at the foot of the Yatsugatake mountains due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Kindaichi compiled many dictionaries on the Japanese language, including the well-known Shin Meikai Kogojiten (New Authoritative Japanese-Language Dictionary), a dictionary on archaic Japanese vocabulary.
He also wrote many books, including "Nihongo Seminar" ("Japanese Language Seminar"), "Nihongo Hogen no Kenkyu" ("Studies of Japanese Dialects"), and "Nihongo," which has been translated into English under the title, "The Japanese Lan- guage."
He helped identify a kidnapper's hometown in a 1963 abduction case, and was a frequent guest on TV programs, including variety shows.
In 1982, he was awarded the Art Encouragement Prize by the then education ministry, and in 1997 was named a Person of Cultural Merit.
Kyodo News