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Okinawan language
Northern Ryukyuan language / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Okinawan language (沖縄口, Uchināguchi) is a Ryukyuan language that is spoken in the Okinawa Islands of Japan.
Quick Facts Pronunciation, Native to ...
Okinawan | |
---|---|
沖縄口/ウチナーグチ Uchinaaguchi | |
Pronunciation | [ʔut͡ɕinaːɡut͡ɕi] |
Native to | Japan |
Region | Okinawa Islands |
Native speakers | 980,000 (2000)[1] |
Okinawan, Japanese, Rōmaji | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | ryu |
Glottolog | cent2126 |
ELP | South-Central Okinawan |
Linguasphere | 45-CAC-ai |
![]() (South–Central) Okinawan, AKA Shuri–Naha | |
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Most linguists say that it branched off from Proto-Japonic, which is the ancestor of Japanese and the Ryukyuan languages. The Japanese government says Okinawan is a dialect of Japanese because of politics.