Ikema Miyako (Japan) – Language Snapshot
- Shigeko Shinohara
Abstract
Ikema is an endangered Miyako Ryukyuan language spoken in the Miyako Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The estimated number of Ikema speakers in 2007-2008 was around 2,000. As is the case with all the Ryukyuan languages, Ikema is mainly spoken by elderly members of the community. The younger generations are no longer learning Ikema as a first language, and it is very likely that it will disappear in a few decades. Some of the typologically unusual features of Ikema include word-initial geminates and voiceless nasal geminates. A wide range of resources are available on Ikema, including audio recordings and grammatical descriptions. The authors are involved in the phonetic and phonological documentation of Ikema spoken on Ikema Island and Nishihara district on the main Miyako Island.
Keywords: Miyako Ryukyuan, Ikema, Miyako Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
How to Cite:
Shinohara, S., (2020) “Ikema Miyako (Japan) – Language Snapshot”, Language Documentation and Description 19, 240-248. doi: https://doi.org/10.25894/ldd80
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