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Okinawan is a
language spoken in
Japan, on the southern island of
Okinawa, as well as the surrounding islands of
Kerama,
Kume-jima,
Tonaki,
Aguni, and a number of smaller
islands located to the east of the main island of Okinawa.
It is part of the Ryukyuan family of languages, which
along with
Japanese and its
dialects make up the
Japonic family of languages. It is
divided into three main dialects: Northern (Kunigami),
Central (Standard,
Shuri-Naha),
and Southern. The Shuri dialect was standardized during the era of the
Ryukyuan Kingdom, during the reign
of king
Sho Shin (1477-1526). It was the
official language used by royalty and aristocracy. All of the songs and
poems in the language from that era are written in the Shuri dialect.
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