An Outline of the Ryukyuan Language

Abstract

1. The Name of Ryukyu. The Ryukyu Islands consist of four archipelagoes, namely, Amamioshima, Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama. And their general name before the establishment of the old Ryukyuan Kingdom was "Nanto". Among the Ryukyuans, there are some who dislike the name of Ryukyu and prefer Okinawa. On the contrary, the author prefers the general name Ryukyu, because it is not adequate to apply the name of one island to the whole. 2. The Sphere of the Ryukyuan Language The Ryukyuan language is one of the Japanese dialects and its southernmost limits are Hateruma and Yonaguni Islets. On the other hand, it is very difficult to define its northern boundary, where dialects of both Ryukyu and Kyushu are so closely interrelated. Notwithstanding, we may establish a boundary line for Ryukyu dialects between Shichito and both Amamioshima and Kikai-jima Islets, on the grounds of vocabularies. 3. The Phonetic System. The true characteristics of Ryukyuan has not yet been well recognized due to the fact that the study has treated only the language of Okinawa proper, and especially, of its two cities (Shuri, the capital of old Ryukyu, and Naha, the main trade-port of the island). For more than twenty years, the author visited almost all islets to collect and study their dialects. As a result it has become clear that the prevailing theory that the Ryukyuan langnage had and has only three vowels (a, i, u) is wrong, because it had and has also, as a whole, five vowels (a, i, u, e, o) in its phonetic system as in Japanese, although only three vowels are found in some of the dialects. Consonants of Ryukyuan language are conspicuous in having assimilated plosive sounds. For example ; "kkuri" (this), "ttuti" (having) and "ppa : ppa : " (grand-mother). Another special character is the differentiation of meaning of words by means of using stress or by the absence of accent. For example ; "kakanu" (don't write) and "kakanu" (don't you write?) : "nama-munu" (raw material or fresh good) and "nama-munu" (cheeky fellow). 4. Conjugation of Adjectives. Adjectives of Ryukyuan have definite forms of conjugation. Such adjectives equivalent to those of Japanese belonging to the "ku" or "〓iku" conjugation make their definitive forms by suffixing "sa〓" or "〓a〓" to the roots respectively. For example ; "taka-sa〓" (tall or high) and "mi〓ira〓a〓" (strange). At present, these two forms are tending toward consolidation into "sa〓" alone. In the Yaeyama dialect, adjectives having the vowel "i" at the end of words are suffixed "〓a〓〓" (sa-ari) and the rest, "sa〓〓". For example ; "aFari-〓a〓〓/appari-〓a〓〓" (beautiful) and "midzira-sa〓〓" (strange). The "sa〓〓" is a transformation of "sama-ari", the evidence for which we can find in medieval Japanese. For example, there are such words as "sewasaru" and "sewasarite" in the Saishookyo-ongi (now in possession of Mr. Frank Howley), published about six nuudred years ago. The "sewasari" (seba sari) is in all likelihood a transformation of "seba-sa-ari". And it is changed into such forms as the adjective "iba-sa〓〓" in the Ryukyuan language. In the Ryukyu Islands we can find many old words which have ceased to be used in Japan. Therefore, Ryukyuan can be the key by which the etymology of Japanese can be traced, and also a gate through which the students of Japanese should pass.