Shimoji Isamu: Miyako language

[@ryanchon8702]

its sad that the ryukyuan languages are dying out. this sounds very unique; sounds obviously japonic, but at times a bit like korean (coming from a korean) and also sometimes sounds like neither

[@republicoftaiwan5665]

as taiwanese is would say it sound more similar to austronesian/ native taiwanese languages. i do not hear any korean sounds.

[@lifers08]

This is so beautiful I love Isamu-san's world -- his way of looking at life in general. I am totally touched by his last episode about holding onto the branch by one hand, not both hands. Very philosophical and humanistic and that is something you see in his music. He is such a rare musician in modern Japanese society. Totally unique! And whoever did this interview, thank you!!!!!!!! I really enjoyed it.

[@lolbroek19]

日本語と全然ちがうな。カッケー。方言って本当にかっこいと思う。 アップありがとう。

[@takuokamura5355]

言葉って文化の代表だよね 聞いてて正直意味は分からないけど沖縄独特の優しい雰囲気が伝わってくる

[@nodeue]

@Qulico007 The only way to make sure a language survive is to speak it with children every day. Don't worry, they will learn Japanese at school and on television. For the language to survive, they must use it in their house every day as a natural everyday language; learning a language in school is different and languages cannot stay alive through lessons in a classroom.

[@totot99]

Yes very true! Its not always easy but it is doable and achievable.

[@Yankeeboo]

In understand like only 3% of what he says. Still I enjoyed listening to this language and hope it will be preserved forever.

[@acidpeppers25]

@shimanchucafe 琉球の言葉は大和語（日本語）に共通するものが数多くあり、なおかつ文法がお隣の中国とは全く違っており、大和語と一緒です。 なので、琉球処分関係なしに元々日本語に近い言語です。

[@comentoshitaro]

「タンディガータンディ」ってこういう風に言うのですね。 この言葉がすごく心に沁みました。

[@justfreed_1992]

really fascinating, and it really sounds like far away from the general Japanese. I feel so much interesting there's a guy who is still young person has left who can fluently speak Miyako dialect. Because as less speakers, the small but those fascinating authentic dialect is going disappears. This youtube videos will remain your island language very clearly, so I am happy about your long language speaking and those Japanese subtitle.

[@redbrickwall]

I thought I was watching Ikuta Toma for 1 whole minute before I realised the title of the video includes the speaker's name :O

[@crypticlolita]

To me this sounds (I must stress, to the untrained ear) obviously Japonic, but with elements of Korean and Hawaiian? Haha or some kind of Polynesian influence.

[@Qulico007]

I agree with him 100%! Miyaku-Futsu needs to be treasured and protected! Just like he said, I don't quite know what exactly we can do though... One thing I can say for sure is that I love one of his song that is like bossa nova. I'ts about Painagama. Love that song, but I don't know the title.

[@samanthahelentin]

2:45からの、彼の考え方は本当にすばらしいと思う。

[@ballebanan]

@goshadowkenny Yeah, at some intervals one could mistake it for Korean unless one is used to hearing Korean or speak it.

[@FireRupee]

@Qulico007 Well, if you speak it, you can use it with everyone else you know who knows it too and teach it to your children. Do whatever you can to promote a thriving community of the language. News broadcasts (not suggesting you become an anchor or anything), forums, radio, whatever, go a long way. Using it in school is also important. Government support also helps (like doing schools in the language), but that's another matter.

[@KillaKlump]

I was at a japanese restaurant and i thought the people there were speaking a chinese dialect because it didn't sound like Japanese, but they were speaking this language

[@Dzakku]

I love the sound of it

[@bullettrain777]

There are regular rules between Japanese and Ryukyuan languages.

[@kuj4z]

Sounds almost like brazilian portuguese

[@i.a.1475]

Zuera never ends

[@ashesoneeight]

Is an Okinawan fron okinawa island ethnically related to to the other islanders?Im Okinawan but cant figure out the ethnic diversities of the region.How could such diversities occur in such a small area?

[@bullettrain777]

Phonological rules that connect Ryukyuan languages with Japanese.

[@okjhum]

Zenzen wakarahen naa... :) I wish you would also put parallel subtitles in the Miyakojima language also, please! :)

[@sparrowdudu]

Lovely to hear this. I only remember one phrase, "Jiotto hotti", which I'm not sure if I should translate here...

[@AkiraUema]

@ClassicHolic I'd say zero, naught, nothing. Even though they belong to the same linguistic family, it is an independent language, separate from Japanese or even the Okinawan language spoken in Shuri. It's more or less like English and German. Both are germanic languages but not intelligible to one another.

[@Gewaldro]

@goshadowkenny Some scholars consider Japanese to be a blend of Manchu, Polynesian and the original language of Japan, spoken by the Jomon culture. At least I think it was this way...

[@bullettrain777]

It is presumed that Ryukyuan languages are isolated for about 2000 years. Many ryukyuan words are related to those of Japanese.

[@goshadowkenny]

@ballebanan Yes, that goes without saying. Although I mistake it more for Japanese.

[@dancinforkenji63]

Some of the consonants sound nonexistent in Japanese language. His tone kinda reminds me of Tohoku accent tho

[@cyde01]

fascinating. i can tell that it sounds similar and is related to my mother tongue japanese and yet i can't understand what he's saying at all. i can recognize about 1 word per sentence lol

[@KikiMegami]

isamu-san!!!!!! =D =D woot

[@gharialas]

Somehow the cadence reminds me of Japanese but also an Amerindian language like Cherokee; totally boss.

[@letshuman8985]

This sounds different even from the mainland Okinawa dialect and the Amami one.

[@rofllol48]

I only understood like... one word... kangae.... that's the only word.. ^^;

[@鬼羅巴]

沖縄語は、古代日本語の特徴を色濃く残してますね

[@igoling]

ack, I meant to write "I know of no solid evidence"

[@bubblecup18]

Wow interesting!

[@gothicalanima0204]

@ClassicHolic most of the Japanese won't understand it.

[@ClassicHolic]

now, how much can a japanese understand this?

[@amerain1729]

5%, take it or leave it

[@goshadowkenny]

To me it sounds like a blend of Korean, Japanese, and some kind of Polynesian language.

[@apojoga]

Looks like it borrows some words from standard Japanese? Such as 学校 and 方言.

[@tam1225]

若い人は島唄が嫌い、島言葉が話せないって普通になってますね。 でも黄金言葉はやはり島言葉だからいいんだよ。

[@hisokabr]

is there any way to write down what hes saying?

[@DixieBanjo]

この言語のすべての資料はありますか？私が本当に学びたいと思って、それはいいね。あなたが情報を持っていたら私にメッセージ。:)

[@上里忠邦-q7b]

キューティーハニーの、宮古言バージョンが、youtubeの、kuny9213 に、ありますが、カラオケでも歌える見たいですが、コラボして歌って貰えますか？

[@fullfolle]

is this ryukyuan language or okinawan??

[@OsakaRan]

i'm very facinated by the dialects and japanese language, this is so cool :)

[@republicoftaiwan5665]

sounds extremly similar to austronesian, especially to native taiwanese.

[@danc5618]

下地さんの言うとおり、ある方言を無くなったことで、その方言でしか表現できない世界というと、どんな標準語を当ててもきちんと訳せないという言葉の文化があります。それで人の文化と必要な歴史も無くなることが大変な問題になります。大な問題になる前に私も義務感と負担感で「その無くなるものを守りたい」ことになります。よい伝統と方言は保存されるべきと思います。最後のことわざはとても深いと思います。 二つの手で動かないから落ちる可能性がある。 一つの手使うと利益があるから、手を出すことが大切です。

[@vestysteiner9480]

taandi gaa taandi! :)

[@SantomPh]

Research seems to show that it has similarities to aboriginal languages from the north of the Philipinnes and Taiwan. Korean sounds similar but has a different structure and endings of words. The Japanese words he uses are likely to be loan words or code switching to make meanings clearer.

[@林真也-c5m]

ぴるますや

[@bullettrain777]

Okinawan languages and Japanese belong to the same language family. They share the basic vocabulary.

[@igoling]

What research? I have never heard of any evidence linking Ryukyuan with anything other than Japanese.

[@ImperialSo]

方言の域を超えてるよな 保存が進まないのかな あ

[@JuneWhiskey]

焦る・・・全然分からん！

[@YannickStanislasBrus]

This dialectical language have some elements of korean in pronunciation.

[@davismjapan]

+Yannick Brus I don't think so, more likely sounds Chinese. Those are still old Heian Japanese pronunciation exist at there Okinawa Island

[@YannickStanislasBrus]

+M Davis There is a chinese influence too. It's true.

[@davismjapan]

+Yannick Brus I was born Okinawa, but still don't know mostly old person what they talk... We should keep old Okinawan language to next generation

[@YannickStanislasBrus]

Yes, the ancient languages are lost.

[@YM-zd2yz]

アイヌ語と音が似てますよね。

[@LodiJP]

似てないです。語族も違うし

[@meowtrox1234]

Ariyanaiyahaen

[@GerOxMETIN]

yyy

[@SilentAssassin187]

Wow the language sounds very similar to Japanese. It sounds similar to both japanese and korean. At one moment it sounds like japanese, and then the next moment it starts to sound like korean. To me the sound of the language shifts back and forth from japanese to korean. That's the way i notice it.

[@rofllol48]

but if they use hangul, it'll be the end of the world ^^;;; WW1000 will happen. and I'll be heartbroken

[@DarkFoxV]

話をゼンゼン分からなかった！：P ミヤコがおもろいことよ～

[@majaimay]

The mainland dialects of Japanese and the various Okinawan dialects do share some common sounds and some words but linguists haven't concluded whether it's because the languages are related or just because of cross pollination of vocabulary due to proximity.

[@meowtrox1234]

Nya nya neko kai?

[@danzarely3]

Okinawan/Ryukyuan languages share very little, if any, vocabulary with Japanese. They both originated from Gaya language in South Korea thousands of years ago, but over time became their own languages. The grammar is similar, as they are both Japonic, but vocabulary is unintelligible between the two, and even from one another at that. Each island developed it's own language over hundreds of thousands of years of isolation.

[@republicoftaiwan5665]

bullshit, japonic is not realted to korean

[@igoling]

This is not true. Japanese and Ryukyuan share a large amount of cognate vocabulary; this is not controversial, and well-established. The shared (cognate) vocabulary has undergone a large amount of sound changes (as well as semantic changes) in both languages since they split. At the same time, there is a large amount of vocabulary that is completely unique to Ryukyuan. I know of know solid evidence for the Gaya hypothesis; would you care to provide a citation to the scholarly literature?

[@yook8810]

うちなーんちゅが聞いても分からん ぬーがきーがら分からん ゆくしだろ(マジかよ)