Languages of japan
The most widely spoken language in Japan is Japanese, which is divided into several dialects and the Tokyo dialect is considered standard Japanese.
In addition to the Japanese language, Ryukyuan languages are spoken in Okinawa and parts of Kagoshima in the Ryukyu Islands. Along with Japanese, these languages are part of the Japanese language family, but are separate languages and are not mutually intelligible with Japanese or with each other. All spoken Ryukyuan languages are classified by UNESCO as endangered.
In Hokkaido, there is the Ainu language, which is spoken by the Ainu people, who are the indigenous people of the island. The Ainu languages, of which Hokkaido Ainu is the only extant variety, are isolated and do not belong to any language family. Since the Meiji period, Japanese has become widely used among the Ainu, and consequently, the Ainu languages have been listed as Critically Endangered by UNESCO.
In addition, languages such as Orok, Evenki and Niveji spoken in formerly Japanese-controlled southern Sakhalin are increasingly under threat. After the Soviet Union took control of the region, speakers of these languages and their descendants immigrated to the Japanese islands. These communities still exist in small numbers.
Only the Japanese language enjoys vitality and acceptance in the islands that make up the country, the others are in danger of disappearing due to their marginal position. Also in Japan the use of other languages such as Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, English and French is common.
Japanese language
The official language of Japan is Japanese and is based on the early Yayoi period. Populations from this period are held to have come from China and the Korean peninsula via ships; the main cultural influences were China, Korea, Siberia and Mongolia. It is one of the most used languages on the planet; in 1985 there were an estimated 121,050,000 speakers in Japan alone, in 2009 it has around 125,000,000 speakers.
Japanese has several dialects, that is, different ways of speaking throughout the territory, but the lingua franca of Japan is a form called hyōjungo (標準語), which literally means 'language standard' and which is based on the speech of Tokyo, the country's capital, but took its own direction and became one of the Japanese dialects, called hōgen (方言).
In addition to Chinese characters, the Japanese language developed two writing systems, hiragana and katakana. The hiragana is used for indigenous or domestic Japanese words (for example, さくら 'cherry'). The katakana is used for all foreign words that are not of Chinese origin, アメリカ (Latin), アップデート (update).
From the Kamakura era to the Tokugawa era, also called "Edo", the Japanese language grew without much foreign influence. Its development was isolated, with the exception of the arrival of the Nan-Banjin (the southern barbarians), the Portuguese and later the Dutch.
Japanese modernized with the Meiji Revolution, a series of armed conflicts that brought down the Tokugawa Shogunate. During this period, the new Japanese government restored the reign of the Emperor as the great leader of the country and at the same time the new government modernized itself, its schools and its military technology by sending many students to study abroad, (USA). USA, England, France, Germany).
The national movement to modernize the country by borrowing foreign concepts and ideas affected the Japanese language. Due to the Iberian influence of making and eating bread, the word "pan" both in Japanese and in Spanish or Portuguese. Since this period the Katakana alphabet has been widely used, for foreign words such as "Pan", "Arubaito" ("work" in Japanese originating from Arbeit in German).
With the fall of the Japanese Empire after World War II, Japan received American influence in contrast to the rest of Asia, with the exception of India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, South Korea, and Malaysia.
Regional dialects the Japanese language 日本語
Although throughout history there has always been a standard Japanese language used widely throughout the territory, at least for formal uses, this language has always coexisted with regional Japonica varieties. The dialect of the Kantō Region on which Standard Japanese is based, is based on the educated Tokyo way of speaking and is considered a formal and polite language, which is spoken in the Hachijō subprefecture mainly in Aogashima and Hachijojima, and the island of Okinawa and other smaller islands.
The dialect of the Kansai Region spoken in the Kinki Region comprising Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and Wakayama, this dialect is usually more direct and has a stronger pronunciation.
The abandonment of dialects
With the spread of formal education and the diffusion of the mass media, populations in regions with highly influential dialects such as Kyushu and Okinawa have progressively abandoned the use of the vernacular variant and They have adopted the language of the Kantō Region because it is taught in schools, used on television, in music, and because the Kanto language (標準語ーHyojungo, official language) can be used anywhere in Japan and It can even be used with Japanese speakers from the Americas (Brazil, Peru, USA) and Europe.
The Japanese language has grown as a language of study for businessmen in the automotive, financial, and international transactions industries. Several students in the 1990s in South Korea, China, Taiwan, the United States, Peru, Brazil, England, Germany, France, and Spain have studied Japanese in depth to enhance their careers in finance, international business, or engineering.
Ainu language
In the extreme north of Japan, in the province of Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands and Russia, the Ainu language subsists, it is considered a language isolate. Many archaeologists and prehistoric migration experts believe that the indigenous Ainu originally came from Siberia, and came to occupy northern Japan. Many more years ago they were known by the name ezo. The Ainu language is postulated to be close to the languages of northern Hokkaido, such as those of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and possibly have some linguistic relationships with the Aleuts and Eskimos of America. It is postulated that all of Japan was occupied by the ancestors of the Ainu and Okinawa, under the Jomon culture. Now the Ainu population is very low and most are already mixed with the predominant Japanese ethnicity. Now there are very few Ainu who actually use their native language. However, the Japanese government has assisted the Ainu with rights and initiatives to protect their culture, indigenous rights, and language. It has an estimated 15,000 speakers distributed in 19 dialects, among which the Taraika dialect, the Ezo dialect also called Hokkaido speech and the Kuril dialect stand out. Another dialect, the Sakhalin dialect, disappeared when its last speaker died in 1994.
Ryukyuan or Shiuha languages
Ryukyuan languages are located in southern Japan and belong to the Japonic family of languages. The main ones are the Okinawan languages that are based in the Ryukyu kingdom that was independent of Japan until the time of the Meiji revolution. It has a total of one million speakers distributed in numerous languages and each of these in dialects.
Okinawan Language
In southern Japan, all their dialects, such as Kagoshima and Tsushima, are unintelligible with those of Kansai and Kanto.
The Central Language of Okinawa
It is the largest of this family with a total of 984,285 speakers, about 1% of the Okinawan population. It is spoken in central and southern Okinawa, on the islands of Kerama, Kume-jima, Tonaki, Aguna. It is also called the Okinawan Language and Luchu; four Shuri dialects are known to him, Naha, Torishima, Kudaka.
Kunigami language or Northern Okinawan language
The Kunigami language has only 5,000 speakers and is spoken in central and northern Okinawa and on the islands of Iheya, Izena, Ie-jima and Sesoko. The Nago dialect is known to him.
Kikai
It has 13,066 speakers and is spoken in northeastern Okinawa and on the island of Kikai. It is known as the Onotsu dialect.
Northern Amami Language
The Amami language is also called Northern Amami-Osima, Oshima, or Osima. It has 10,000 speakers; spoken northwest of Okinawa and north of Amami-oshima Island. It has several dialects, including Naze and Sani, which are intelligible with dialects of other languages and with Japanese.
South Amami
It is a much smaller language than the Northern Amami language, with only 1,800 speakers distributed north of Okinawa, south of Amami-oshima, Kakeroma, Yoro, and the Uke Islands. It is known as the Tanegashima dialect, the Yakushima dialect, the Northern Oshima dialect, the Southern Oshima dialect and the Yoron dialect, with less than a thousand speakers.
Toku-No-Shima
The Toku-No-Shima language is spoken north of Okinawa and on Toku-no-shima Island; it has 5,100 speakers and is intelligible with Japanese and any of the Ryukyuan languages.
Oki-No-Erabu
Spoken in central Okinawa and on Oki-no-erabu Island. It has 3,200 speakers and two ways of speaking, Eastern Speech and Western Speech, both dialects are mutually understandable, but not intelligible with other Ryukyuan languages or Japanese.
Miyako language 宮古語
The Miyako language has a total of 67,700 speakers. It is located south of Okinawa; on the Miyako, Ogami, Ikema, Kurima, Irabu, Tarama and Minna Islands islands. It has a large number of dialects, among which Miyako, Jima (Hirara, Ogami), Irabu-Jima and Tarama-Minna stand out; None of them is intelligible with the other Ryukyuan languages or Japanese; Among the listed dialects there are noticeable differences but communication is not impossible.
Yaeyama language 八重山語
The Yaeyama language is spoken by 47,000 people in southern Okinawa; on the islands Ishigaki, Iriomote, Hatoma, Kohama, Taketomi, Kuroshima, Hateruma, Aregusuku. It is also called Yayeyama. It is very different from other languages and is frequently related to the Yonaguni language; it has many dialect groups such as Ishigaki, Kabira, Shiraho, Taketomi, Kohama, Hatoma, Sonai, Kuroshima, Hateruma.
Yonaguni language 与那国語
The Yonaguni language is a language in decline, only spoken by 1000 people south of Okinawa; on Yonaguni Island. It is related to the Yaeyama Language.
Orok language
The Orok language arose before the Common Era. Records show that it was used during the latter part of the Edo period in Hokkaido, Karafuto, and the Kuril Islands; however, only a few speakers exist.
Niveji language
Like Orok, the Niveji language was spoken in Hokkaido, Karafuto, and the Kuril Islands, but also along the Amur River. It is unknown if Niveji speakers still remain in Japan.
Other languages
Other languages used in Japan are Korean, whose 670,000 speakers are distributed throughout the territory, but mainly in Osaka (Koreatown), Tokyo, Shimonoseki, and Chiba, where there are significant Korean populations.
In addition, Chinese with 800,000 speakers, English with 250,000 speakers, Portuguese with 250,000 speakers, Spanish with 100,000 speakers, Tagalog with 36,000 speakers, French, Urdu are widely used., Persian, Arabic, Bengali and Vietnamese, for universal, diplomatic and cultural communication, as well as for trade with other countries.
Japanese Sign Language
Used by around 317,000 speakers, it is also called shuwa or temane; their dialects are related to Korean and Taiwanese Sign Languages.