Amami languages

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Amami languages
EthnicityRyukyuan
Geographic
distribution
Amami Islands, Japan
Linguistic classificationJaponic
Subdivisions
Glottologamam1245
ELPAmami

The Amami languages are a collection of dialect clusters spoken across the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. All dialects are members of the Ryukyuan languages, specifically its northern branch.

Classification[edit]

There are many distinct clusters of the Amami languages, most of which have their own ISO 639-3 codes:[1][2]

Scholars are divided on the specific subgrouping of these dialects. The Okinoerabu and Yoron clusters may be grouped within the Kunigami language.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Did you know Amami-North Okinawan is endangered?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  2. ^ "ISO 639 Code Tables | ISO 639-3". iso639-3.sil.org. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  3. ^ Heinrich, Patrick; Miyar, Shinsho; Shimoji, Michinori, eds. (2015). Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages: History, Structure and Use. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. p. 375. ISBN 978-1-61451-161-8.