"Are you there?" Speaking with an old man Endangered language October 9th 19:52
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A grandson who asks, "Well, isn't it?"
My grandfather replies, "Isanayanki Tsurituindi."
Only a limited number of people can understand the meaning of conversations in topical videos.
But it was an important word for my grandchildren.
(Network News Department Reporter Yoko Idegami Mihoko Tanii Naoya Saito)
Grandfather and grandson
An 89-year-old grandfather appears in the video, and his grandson talks gently.
Grandson "Are you there?"
Grandfather "Isanayanki Tsuritui"
There are also scenes where my grandson asks, "Nma * or Damiwarun *?".
Grandson "Are you there?" = Where are you going tomorrow?
Grandfather "Isanayanki Tsurituindi" = I'm going to the hospital to get medicine
Grandson "Nma * kadamiwarun * ka °?" = Where does it hurt?
The two are speaking the words of Yonaguni Town, Okinawa Prefecture, which is the westernmost point of Japan.
I asked the Board of Education in Yonaguni Town to tell me what it means in standard language.
I wanted you to think that the "ka ゜" marked with * is closer to "nga" than "ga".
AIKA posted the video on Twitter because she is now away from the island.
It seems that it was taken when returning to Yonaguni Island.
From Twitter,
"My grandfather is native, and my mother can hear but can't speak, so I didn't understand at all when I was a kid."
"
I haven't been able to pass
on the island language to the younger generation. I want to learn a lot. "
Even people in Okinawa don't understand the meaning of the series of posts, such as the surprised voice "I'm excited. I feel that the way I speak is different! It's amazing!" And "I'm an Okinawan main islander, but I don't understand at all." Was also received.
Languages in danger of disappearing
Yonaguni's words that AIKA wants to cherish.
In fact, it is now regarded as a "language in danger of disappearing."
The word "endangered" is often used for living things, but UNESCO says that about 2,500 languages in the world are in danger of disappearing, and in Japan there are eight languages, including Ainu and Yonaguni. Languages and dialects are listed.
<Extremely serious> Ainu
<Serious crisis> Yaeyama (Yaeyama dialect), Yonaguni (Yonaguni dialect)
<Danger> Hachijo (Hachijo dialect), Amami (Amami dialect), Kunigami (Kunigami dialect), Okinawan (Okinawa dialect), Miyako language (Miyako dialect)
The degree of danger of extinction is also categorized based on the number of people who speak and how much it is inherited, and the Ainu language is said to be "extremely serious".
The Yonaguni language (Yonaguni dialect) has become a "serious crisis."
Endangered language that was also in Tokyo
It is an endangered language that is often found in Okinawa, and the word "Hachijogo" (Hachijo dialect) of Hachijojima and Aogashima, which are the islands of Tokyo, is one of them.
According to the homepage of Hachijo Town, many old words from the Nara / Heian period remain, and there is no distinction between accents (no distinction between bridges, edges, and chopsticks).
Mr. Kaoru Hayashi, Hachijo Town Board of Education
"The number of people who use Hachijo language on a daily basis is very limited. Because there are many tourists and it is close to Tokyo, I often use standard language."
According to Mr. Hayashi, elderly people sometimes speak in Hachijo, but young people rarely speak.
Therefore, the Board of Education is making "Hachijo / Island Karuta", saying "I want children to know the language of the area where they live and feel the charm."
Even on the island, there are differences in language among the five regions, so in response to "Baby is cute even if sleeping"
Words from each region are written, such as
"Appamewane even if there is something
" (Mine area)
"Appamewane even if there is something" (Okago area)
. ..
In order to create opportunities to come into contact with the local language, we rent out cards and take classes to learn the language of the island at elementary and junior high schools.
Mr. Kaoru Hayashi, Hachijo Town Board of Education
"I want you to get to know the culture and history of the island by touching the local language and feel the charm."
School in the background of the crisis of disappearance
There are various reasons why the language rooted in the community disappears, but Professor Nobuko Kibe, the deputy director of the National Institute for Japanese Language and Language, points out that "teaching at school is also deeply involved."
Professor Kibe
"From the postwar period to around 1970, education was being promoted in Tohoku, southern Kyushu, and Okinawa, saying that" dialects were not used. "
" At that time, it was a period of high economic growth. I got a group job in Tokyo and Osaka as a "golden egg". At that time, it seems that this kind of education was promoted because I was in trouble if I could not speak a standard language. "
Forbidden words
At that time, some of the things used at school were called "dialect cards" so that people could learn standard languages so that they wouldn't use dialects.
Professor Kibe
"Children who used dialects hung this tag from their necks in the sense of punishment. People of this generation still recognize that dialects are dirty words" even as they grow older. There are many people. "
" Nowadays, it seems that there are many cases where dialects are used in conversations between elderly
people, but
standard languages are used when talking to grandchildren. "
In addition to this kind of education, Professor Kibe believes that the outflow of local populations, the formation of nuclear families, and the spread of television are factors that have made local languages obsolete.
"Why don't you need Japanese because English is more convenient?"
And I asked while thinking that it was a very rude question.
"It may be more convenient for all the words to be the same, why protect the language?"
The answer to the brash question was:
Professor Kibe
"What do you think if you are told that it is more convenient to unify in English so you don't need Japanese?"
"Of course it is important to study English, which is widely spoken, but Japan is my mother tongue. Speaking a language is important, isn't it? The local language is exactly the same. At the same time as studying the standard language, it is also very important to protect the local language and maintain diversity. "
I want to learn important words, that is ...
AIKA posted a conversation in Yonaguni with her grandfather on Twitter.
When I asked him why he tried to make a video, he replied with all his thoughts.
I will introduce it almost as it is.
AIKA
"I thought that if I had a conversation with my grandfather on a small island in the westernmost part of Japan in a language that my grandson had never heard of, I thought that some people might be interested in it."
"Now, this Yonaguni language is It is spoken by older people in their 60s and older. From my point of view, there are many people who can understand but cannot speak, and many of us younger generations cannot understand and can not speak. "
"Since I was little, I grew up watching my grandfather talking in Yonaguni and my mother in Japanese. At that time, I could hardly understand the meaning. I was interested in Yonaguni. I sent it after I left the island and went to university. "
" I wanted to make a movie about Yonaguni as a graduation
project in
the film department of the university, and since I was in my third year, I have been researching various things about Yonaguni. During that time, I had to reconsider my roots and realized the importance of the Yonaguni language. When I came back to the island many times, I read the materials on the island and told my grandfathers and seniors on the island. I listened to the story. "
" While I was on the island, I lived with my grandfather, and my grandfather often talked to me in Yonaguni language. When I didn't understand the meaning, I asked him about Japan. It will be returned in words. Thanks to that, I am learning Yonaguni and I am happy that my grandfather speaks to me in Yonaguni. "
And finally it was written as follows.
AIKA
"The number of native Yonaguni speakers is decreasing year by year. I want to learn a lot of important island languages while my grandfather and my grandfather in the neighborhood are doing well. The island is my identity. Because there is. "