|
The Ainu language (Aynu Itak) is spoken by the Ainu ethnic group on the
northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It was once spoken in the Kurile
Islands, the northern part of Honshu, and the southern half of Sakhalin.
Although typologically similar in some respects to Japanese, Ainu is thought
to be a language isolate with no relation to other languages.
Speakers: Ainu is a moribund language, with a small and rapidly dwindling
number of speakers; in the town of Nibutani where most of the remaining
native speakers live, there are 100 speakers, out of which only 15 use the
language everyday. In all of Hokkaido, there are approximately 200 native
speakers generally not younger than 30 (with a couple of exceptions). Usage
among native speakers is increasing so it is no longer accurate to say only
15 people use it regularly as there is a movement to turn the decline in
number of speakers around before it is too late. Most of the 150,000
self-proclaimed ethnic Ainu in Japan (many do not know or are secretive for
fear of discrimination) speak only Japanese, although there is an increasing
number of second language learners, especially in Hokkaido, thanks to the
efforts of Ainu activist and former Diet member Shigeru Kayano, a native
speaker himself.
The phonology of Ainu is relatively simple; syllables are CV(C), there
are few consonant clusters.
There is a pitch accent system; words including affixes have a high pitch
on the stem, or on the first syllable if it is closed or has a diphthong.
Other words have the high pitch on the second syllable.
Typology and grammar: Ainu is SOV, with postpositions. Subject and object
are usually marked with postpositions. Nouns can cluster to modify one
another; the head comes at the end. Verbs, which are inherently either
transitive or intransitive, accept various derivational affixes.
Writing: Officially, the Ainu language is written in a modified version
of the Japanese syllabary katakana. There is also a Latin-based alphabet in
use.
Oral literature: The Ainu have a rich oral tradition of hero-sagas called
Yukar, which retain a number of grammatical archaisms.
Research on Ainu language and culture: Extensive research on Ainu
language and the culture of Ainu was performed by the anthropologist
Bronislaw Pilsudski.
|
