Amami languages

Last updated
Amami languages
Ethnicity Ryukyuan
Geographic
distribution
Amami Islands, Japan
Linguistic classification Japonic
Subdivisions
Glottolog amam1245
ELP Amami

The Amami languages are a collection of dialect clusters spoken across the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. All dialects are members of the Ryukyuan languages, specifically its northern branch.

Classification

There are many distinct clusters of the Amami languages, most of which have their own ISO 639-3 codes: [1] [2]

Scholars are divided on the specific subgrouping of these dialects. The Okinoerabu and Yoron clusters may be grouped within the Kunigami language. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kagoshima Prefecture</span> Prefecture of Japan

Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,564,175 and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2. Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto Prefecture to the north and Miyazaki Prefecture to the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoron, Kagoshima</span> Town in Kyushu, Japan

Yoron is a town located on Yoronjima, in Ōshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japonic languages</span> Language family of Japan

Japonic or Japanese–Ryukyuan, sometimes also Japanic, is a language family comprising Japanese, spoken in the main islands of Japan, and the Ryukyuan languages, spoken in the Ryukyu Islands. The family is universally accepted by linguists, and significant progress has been made in reconstructing the proto-language, Proto-Japonic. The reconstruction implies a split between all dialects of Japanese and all Ryukyuan varieties, probably before the 7th century. The Hachijō language, spoken on the Izu Islands, is also included, but its position within the family is unclear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryukyuan languages</span> Indigenous languages of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan

The Ryukyuan languages, also Lewchewan or Luchuan, are the indigenous languages of the Ryukyu Islands, the southernmost part of the Japanese archipelago. Along with the Japanese language and the Hachijō language, they make up the Japonic language family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amami Ōshima</span> Island within Ryukyu Islands

Amami Ōshima, also known as Amami, is the largest island in the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. It is one of the Satsunan Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amami Ōshima language</span> Ryukyuan language of Japan

The Amami language or languages, also known as Amami Ōshima or simply Ōshima, is a Ryukyuan language spoken in the Amami Islands south of Kyūshū. The southern variety of the Setouchi township may be a distinct language more closely related to Okinawan than it is to northern Ōshima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amami Islands</span> Island group within Ryukyu Islands

The Amami Islands is an archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and is southwest of Kyushu. Administratively, the group belongs to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan and the Japan Coast Guard agreed on February 15, 2010, to use the name of Amami-guntō (奄美群島) for the Amami Islands. Prior to that, Amami-shotō (奄美諸島) was also used. The name of Amami is probably cognate with Amamikyu (阿摩美久), the goddess of creation in the Ryukyuan creation myth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokunoshima</span> Island within Ryukyu Islands

Tokunoshima, also known in English as Tokuno Island, is an island in the Amami archipelago of the southern Satsunan Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunigami language</span> Northern Ryukyuan language

The Kunigami or Northern Okinawan language, is a Ryukyuan language of Northern Okinawa Island in Kunigami District and city of Nago, otherwise known as the Yanbaru region, historically the territory of the kingdom of Hokuzan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okinawan Japanese</span> Regional variant of the Japanese language spoken by inhabitants of the island of Okinawa, Japan

Okinawan Japanese is the Japanese language as spoken by the people of Okinawa Islands. Okinawan Japanese's accents and words are influenced by the traditional Okinawan and Kunigami languages. Okinawan Japanese has some loanwords from American English due to the United States administration after the Battle of Okinawa. Okinawan Japanese is a Japanese dialect, unlike the Northern Ryukyuan Okinawan and Kunigami languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoronjima</span> Island within Ryukyu Islands

Yoronjima, also known as Yoron, is one of the Amami Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ōshima Subprefecture (Kagoshima)</span>

Ōshima Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The subprefectural office is located in Amami.

As Japanese citizens, people of the Amami Islands presently only have family names (surnames) and given names. They are known for many unique one-character surnames that date back to the Edo period. A survey on telephone directories of 2002 shows that 21.5% of the residents of the Amami Islands have one-character surnames. Famous people with one-character surnames include Atari (中) Kōsuke, Hajime (元) Chitose and Nobori (昇) Shomu.

The Kikai language is spoken on Kikai Island, Kagoshima Prefecture of southwestern Japan. It is debated whether it is a single dialect cluster. Regardless, all Kikai dialects are members of the Amami–Okinawan languages, which are part of the Japonic languages.

The Yoron language is a dialect continuum spoken on Yoronjima in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. It is one of the Northern Ryukyuan languages, which are a sub-branch within the Japonic language family. The language is one of the most endangered languages in all of Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ryukyuan languages</span> Group of languages in Japan

The Northern Ryukyuan languages are a group of languages spoken in the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture and the Okinawa Islands, Okinawa Prefecture of southwestern Japan. It is one of two primary branches of the Ryukyuan languages, which are then part of the Japonic languages. The subdivisions of Northern Ryukyuan are a matter of scholarly debate.

The Okinoerabu dialect cluster, also Oki-no-Erabu, is a dialect cluster spoken on Okinoerabu Island, Kagoshima Prefecture of southwestern Japan. It is part of the Amami–Okinawan languages, which are part of the Japonic languages.

The Southern Amami Ōshima language is a Ryukyuan language spoken in Setouchi, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is generally considered to be the southern variety of the Amami Ōshima language, whereas a separate northern variety exists.

Amami Japanese is a variety of the Japanese language spoken on the island of Amami Ōshima. Its native term Ton-futsūgo means "potato standard". Much like Okinawan Japanese, it is a descendant of Standard Japanese but with influences from the traditional Ryukyuan languages.

Ryukyuan culture are the cultural elements of the indigenous Ryukyuan people, an ethnic group native to Okinawa Prefecture and parts of Kagoshima Prefecture in southwestern Japan.

References

  1. "Did you know Amami-North Okinawan is endangered?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  2. "ISO 639 Code Tables | ISO 639-3". iso639-3.sil.org. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  3. Heinrich, Patrick; Miyar, Shinsho; Shimoji, Michinori, eds. (2015). Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages: History, Structure and Use. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. p. 375. ISBN   978-1-61451-161-8.