Developing a Writing System for Ryukyuan Languages(<Special Issue>Views of Ryukyuan, Views from Ryukyuan)

Abstract

No Ryukyuan language has a general writing system, or orthography, which is no doubt a powerful tool for helping a language to survive, especially in the modern world. This paper argues that there are two possible factors that have brought about this current situation: socio-political history and linguistic diversity. The socio-political factor refers to the fact that there have been few chances for a writing system specifically devised for Ryukyuan to be developed in the history of the languages. One of the very few chances was when the Ryukyu Kingdom was established in the fifteenth century. However, it ended up with no orthography of its own. The factor of linguistic diversity also causes a big problem in developing orthography. It is well known that Ryukyuan languages consist of diverse varieties, and linguists have tried to publish dictionaries and other materials for individual varieties. Although many authors adopt kana-based systems, they use different modifications. In other words, linguists have not reached an agreement as to how to devise a consistent writing system, especially for lay persons to use. Instead, they have simply employed their own ways of writing, leaving people with inconsistent orthographies that differ from person to person. It is thus urgently necessary for researchers to get together and develop a consistent writing system for Ryukyuan languages from a wider perspective and to start discussing relevant issues such as whether alphabetic letters or syllabic letters should be used.