Yaeyama language
Encyclopedia
Yaeyama is a Ryukyuan language
that is spoken in the Yaeyama Islands
, the southernmost inhabited island group in Japan, with a combined population of about 50,000 (as of 2011). The Yaeyama Islands are situated to the southwest of the Miyako area of the Ryukyus and to the east of Taiwan. Yaeyama (Yaimamunii) is most closely related to Miyako
. The number of competent native speakers is not known - as a consequence of Japanese language policy, reflected in the education system, people below the age of 60 tend to not use the language except in songs and rituals, and the younger generation exclusively uses Japanese as their first language.
Yaeyama has three main dialects, named after the islands they are found on:
The speech of the island of Yonaguni
, while related, is usually considered a separate language
.
when its speakers migrated to the Ryukyu Islands.
Some of the pronunciations that disappeared from Japanese around the 8th century, Japan
's Nara period
, can still be found in the Yaeyama languages. One example is the initial "p" sound, which in Japanese became an "h," while remaining a "p" in Yaeyama.
While the Yaeyama language was more "conservative" in some aspects, in the sense of preserving certain pronunciations, in other aspects it was more innovative. One example is the vowel system. Old Japanese had 5-8 vowels; this has been reduced to 5 in modern Japanese, but in Yaeyaman, vowel reduction
has progressed further, to 3 vowels. Generally, when modern Japanese has an "e," the Yaeyama cognate will have an "i" (this is seen in "puni," above); and where modern Japanese has an "o," the Yaeyama cognate will have a "u" (as seen in "patu," above).
Many of these preserved pronunciations have been lost in the language of the main island of Okinawa. One explanation for this is that it is possible to travel by sea from mainland Japan until the main island of Okinawa, while keeping one island or another in sight nearly at all times; but there is then a gap between Okinawa island and the Yaeyamas, that would have required several nights on the open sea. For this reason, there was less traffic between mainland Japan and the Yaeyama islands, allowing further linguistic divergence.
Ryukyuan languages
The Ryukyuan languages are spoken in the Ryukyu Islands, and make up a subgroup of the Japonic, itself controversially a subgroup of Altaic....
that is spoken in the Yaeyama Islands
Yaeyama Islands
The Yaeyama Islands are a group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.The isles are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contains Japan's most southern and most western inhabited islands.The islands form the southern part of the volcanic Nansei Islands...
, the southernmost inhabited island group in Japan, with a combined population of about 50,000 (as of 2011). The Yaeyama Islands are situated to the southwest of the Miyako area of the Ryukyus and to the east of Taiwan. Yaeyama (Yaimamunii) is most closely related to Miyako
Miyako language
Miyako is a language spoken in the Miyako Islands, located southwest of Okinawa. The combined population of the islands is about 52,000 . Miyako is a Ryukyuan language, most closely related to Yaeyama...
. The number of competent native speakers is not known - as a consequence of Japanese language policy, reflected in the education system, people below the age of 60 tend to not use the language except in songs and rituals, and the younger generation exclusively uses Japanese as their first language.
Yaeyama has three main dialects, named after the islands they are found on:
- Ishigaki
- IriomoteIriomoteIriomote is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself....
- TaketomiTaketomiTaketomi is an island in the Yaeyama District of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Located a ten-minute boat ride away from Ishigaki island, this island has a village in the center, also named Taketomi. Taketomi has a population of approximately 361 and an area of 6.32 km²...
The speech of the island of Yonaguni
Yonaguni
is one of the Yaeyama Islands. It is the westernmost inhabited island of Japan and lies from the east coast of Taiwan, between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean proper....
, while related, is usually considered a separate language
Yonaguni language
Yonaguni is a Ryukyuan language spoken by around 800 people on the island of Yonaguni, in the Ryukyu Islands, just east of Taiwan. It is most closely related to Yaeyama..-Phonology:...
.
History
The Ryukyuan language split from Proto-JaponicJaponic languages
Japonic languages is a term which identifies and characterises the Japanese which is spoken on the main islands of Japan and the Ryukyuan languages spoken in the Ryukyu Islands. This widely accepted linguistics term was coined by Leon Serafim....
when its speakers migrated to the Ryukyu Islands.
Some of the pronunciations that disappeared from Japanese around the 8th century, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's Nara period
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...
, can still be found in the Yaeyama languages. One example is the initial "p" sound, which in Japanese became an "h," while remaining a "p" in Yaeyama.
| Proto-Japanese | Modern Japanese | Yaeyama | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Field" | para | hara | paru |
| "Boat" | pune | fune | puni |
| "Dove" | pato | hato | patu |
While the Yaeyama language was more "conservative" in some aspects, in the sense of preserving certain pronunciations, in other aspects it was more innovative. One example is the vowel system. Old Japanese had 5-8 vowels; this has been reduced to 5 in modern Japanese, but in Yaeyaman, vowel reduction
Vowel reduction
In phonetics, vowel reduction is any of various changes in the acoustic quality of vowels, which are related to changes in stress, sonority, duration, loudness, articulation, or position in the word , and which are perceived as "weakening"...
has progressed further, to 3 vowels. Generally, when modern Japanese has an "e," the Yaeyama cognate will have an "i" (this is seen in "puni," above); and where modern Japanese has an "o," the Yaeyama cognate will have a "u" (as seen in "patu," above).
| Modern Japanese | Yaeyama | |
|---|---|---|
| "Thing" | mono | munu |
| "Seed" | tane | tani |
| "First time" | hajimete | hajimiti |
Many of these preserved pronunciations have been lost in the language of the main island of Okinawa. One explanation for this is that it is possible to travel by sea from mainland Japan until the main island of Okinawa, while keeping one island or another in sight nearly at all times; but there is then a gap between Okinawa island and the Yaeyamas, that would have required several nights on the open sea. For this reason, there was less traffic between mainland Japan and the Yaeyama islands, allowing further linguistic divergence.
External links
- Yaeyama phrasebook at Wikitravel (Ishigaki dialect)