Ainu language Details, Meaning Ainu language Article and Explanation Guide

Ainu language Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

For the language spoken in Central Asia, see Aini language

The Ainu language (アイヌイタㇰ, Aynu Itak; Japanese: アイヌ語) 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. A Paleosiberian grouping is generally accepted.

Ainu (aynu itak)
Spoken in:	Japan, Russia
Region:	Hokkaido, Sakhalin, formerly the Kuril Islands and elsewhere
Total speakers:	Over 1000
Ranking:	Not in top 100
Genetic classification:	Unclassified Ainu
Language codes
ISO 639-2	mis
SIL	AIN
Linguasphere	45-B

Table of contents

1 Speakers
2 Phonology
3 Typology and grammar
4 Writing
5 Oral literature
6 Links

Speakers

Ainu has been an endangered language for at least decades. It has a small but recently increasing number of speakers. The number of speakers today (by whatever definition one may use) is not known with any certainty. Most of the 150,000 self-proclaimed ethnic Ainu in Japan (many additional Ainu are not aware of their origins or are secretive for fear of discrimination) speak only Japanese.

Among the speakers (broadly defined), second-language learners currently outnumber native ones. In all of Hokkaido, there are perhaps 1000 native speakers not younger than 30 (with few exceptions). At one time it was said that only 15 people used it regularly. However, usage among native speakers is increasing.

There is currently an active revitalization movement -- mainly in Hokkaido but also elsewhere -- to reverse the century-long decline in number of speakers. This has led to an increasing number of second-language learners, especially in Hokkaido, in large part due to the pioneering efforts of Ainu folklorist, activist and former Diet member Shigeru Kayano, himself a native speaker.

Phonology

Ainu syllables are CV(C) and there are few consonant clusters.

There are five vowels:

i u e o a

Consonants:

p   t   k   ʔ (glottal stop is not written in transcription)
    s       h
    c (varies between [ʧ], [ʦ], [ʤ], [ʣ])
w   y ([j])
m   n
    r

The sequence /ti/ is realized as [ʧi], /s/ becomes [ʃ] before /i/ and at the end of syllables. There is some variation among dialects; in the Sakhalin dialect, syllable-final /p, t, k, r/ are merged into /h/.

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. Ainu Times publishes in both.

The modified katakana set is supported by Unicode; font support is limited, especially for Microsoft Windows. [1]

Oral literature

The Ainu have a rich oral tradition of hero-sagas called Yukar, which retain a number of grammatical and lexical archaisms.

See also: Kannari Matsu Chiri Mashiho Chiri Takao Kindaichi Kyosuke Bronislaw Pilsudski