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Paper short abstract

The Hachijō language is attested since the Edo period. Since then, several evolutions can be observed, among which a tremendous influence of mainland Japanese on its phonology, grammar and lexicon. This presentation proposes to study this phenomenon as a textbook case of ‘language erosion’ in Japan.

Paper long abstract

Hachijō is a small endangered Japonic variety spoken in the South of the Izu archipelago, roughly 300 km south-est of Tōkyō. It is considered quite remarkably archaic among Japonic languages and was often compared with Eastern Old Japanese (Kaneda:2012). Thus, it is recognised since 2009 as one of Japan's endangered languages by the UNESCO (Moseley, 2009).

Unlike several minority languages of Japan, Hachijō has been attested at least since the late Edo period (Baudel:2024), and was abundantly described and commented ever since. During those roughly 250 years of attestation, several dramatic linguistic evolutions can be observed, among which a tremendous influence of mainland Japanese, on phonology, grammar and lexicon alike.

The concept of ‘language erosion’ or ‘language attrition’ refers to ‘the process whereby a given grammar system undergoes a significant reduction when it is passed from one generation to the next, i.e. incomplete learning of a language system’ (Polinsky, 1995:88), causing ‘a decrease of language proficiency’ between original speakers and ‘language forgetters’, ‘incomplete language learners’ or ‘terminal speakers’.

Thus, this presentation proposes to study this phenomenon in Japan using the example of Hachijō, showing first examples of language erosion within the language, before studying:

- the chronological process of the linguistic erosion of Hachijō between 1800 and today (based upon the statistical analysis of a corpus of Hachijō texts)

- the sociolinguistic causes for its occurring (based upon former studies and testimonies)

- the details of its development (depending on the speaker's gender, social class, topolect or to the context of use), and its specificities within Japan

Finally, the presentation will end with the question of the possibility of reverting language attrition through the process of linguistic revitalisation.

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Paper short abstract

This talk will cover the key findings from the grammar, including how to parse the verb classes into C-final and hybrid and how diachronic shift has led to GNRL vs. INCL opposition among other phenomena in the language. The future of the island, people, and their language will also be discussed.

Paper long abstract

At the southern tip of Japan, 70 kilometers from Taiwan and six kilometers off the shores of Iriomote island lies a small garden of Eden where only the Panari people are allowed to visit. What Bushin Asato on the closing of the lone elementary school in 1975 called “the abandonment of our ancestors”, occurred over the course of 80 years. The population dropped from 500 residents in 1930 to the six officially registered today. The island is now pristine and tourism free and its choral-rock Gusuku walls make it one of the most beautiful places in the Yaeyaman Archipelago. However, following the 'Panari Incident' upon the reports of Sumiya et al. (1974), the people remain highly suspicious of researchers and have maintained a strict no outsiders policy.

Out of great fortune, the author over the last four years, has had the opportunity to slowly befriend and gain the trust of these people culminating in lexicon and a grammar sketch of the language. This talk will cover the key findings from the grammar. These include how to parse the verb classes into C-final and hybrid and how diachronic shift has affected opposition from EXCL vs. INCL to GNRL vs. INCL among other phenomena in the language. The peculiar function of the house-bound plural/polite pronominal suffix will also be investigated. The future of the island, people, and their language will also be discussed in the conclusion with a focus on diachronic change between full hearers and full speakers as all speaker numbers dwindle.

Key Words: Aragusuku-Uechi Yaeyaman, Japonic Languages, Verb Morphology, Clusivity, Language Endangerment, Fieldwork Methodology

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Paper short abstract

This study will address the current linguistic debate on the relevance of the syllable as a universal unit. It will focus on the following research question: Can the phonology of Ryukyu languages be examined according to a syllabic or moraic model?

Paper long abstract

This study will attempt to address the current linguistic debate on the relevance of the syllable as a universal unit. It will focus on the following research question: Can the phonology of Ryukyu languages be examined according to a syllabic or moraic model?

On the theoretical level, this research will attempt to question the relevance of frames of reference and concepts from the Western linguistic tradition in the study of Japonic languages. The universal role of the syllable will be challenged by the study of the linguistic perspective endogenous to Japan (Labrune 2024: 40–42), whose native linguistic tradition attributes the role of the only relevant prosodic unit to the mora (Labrune 2012: 115).

This research reflects on the theory of the prosodic hierarchy proposed by McCarthy and Prince (1994: 320), which observes three levels between the prosodic word and the phoneme (foot, syllable, mora), and the resulting strict layer hypothesis (Nespor and Vogel 1986), which postulates a subordinate stratification between each level and the necessity of including all prosodic units in the phonological analysis of a target language. Drawing from the unresolved debate concerning the necessity of the syllable in the prosodic analysis of Japanese, this study aims at exploring whether, in the Ryukyu languages, the syllable and the mora maintain a subordinate relationship, an isomorphic relationship, or whether the mora represents a sufficient unit of analysis (cf. Macaulay 2024: 160–161). Therefore, this study aims at assessing the role of the mora and the syllable within the phonological analysis of Ryukyu languages and whether their coexistence is essential and justified.

On the empirical level, fieldwork among native speakers of Ryukyu languages will be conducted in order to confirm the presence of prosodic features, segment distribution rules and phonological or morphological rules that include or require a syllabic model (Pellard 2009: 72). By highlighting their internal diversity and typological interest, this study also intends to contribute to the documentation of Ryukyu languages, with the aim of supporting the preservation of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Ryukyu Islands.