Mao Chinen, OCU
In recent years, there has been a rise in
activity within Okinawa to preserve the indigenous language, known as
Uchinaguchi. These activities to preserve the language are very important. Why
is this so? A report by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) found that, in less than 100 years, half of the world’s languages
could become extinct (Laccino, 2015). What is more, a report in the International Business Times
(Jayalakshmi, 2014) found that the speed at which languages are disappearing is
faster than the speed that biodiversity is disappearing. Clearly, therefore,
this is a very serious issue. In this research paper, I will first briefly discuss
what happened in history to Uchinaguchi, second discuss the state of the
language today, and third give important reasons why it should be protected,
and fourth offer a solution on how to protect the language.
Okinawa
was once an independent nation, which is called Ryukyu kingdom. However, in
1879, Edo (Tokyo) forcibly annexed Ryukyu. The government began a project of
assimilation and obliged Okinawans to speak standard Japanese. For many
decades, Okinawans were discriminated against by Japanese people who live in
mainland because Okinawans speak Uchinaguchi. The language was judged as a vulgar
language (Mie,2012). In
addition, Okinawan people were banned from using Uchinaguchi during World War
II. When an Okinawan used Uchinaguchi, Japanese people and soldiers suspected
him or her of being a spy. Some of them were killed by the soldiers. And then,
if one student spoke it in school, he was punished and had to stand in the
corridor with a sign hanging around his neck signifying his disobedience and
bringing him shame. After the war, “The dialect crusade” was carried out to
stamp out the language now called a dialect. In 1972, Okinawa became a part of
Japan. The Japanese government thought that the dialect should be removed in
Okinawa. A dialect removing movement continued until Okinawa was returned to
Japan (Aoki,2013).
UNESCO has shown that the absolute number of
speakers for all Ryukyu language is approximately 350,000 (Anderson, 2014). According
to a 2011 poll by Ryukyu University professor Masahide Ishihara, of the 605 people engaged in traditional
Okinawan culture which were surveyed, only 5 percent under 30 years old said they could speak Uchinaguchi
fluently (Mie, 2012). In addition, a Professor Tomoko Arakaki observes that some people might recognize
Uchinaguchi as one a dialect spoken in Okinawa. However, UNESCO has shown in
2009 that Uchinaguchi is itself a language. In spite of this fact, some people still recognize this language as a
dialect. To make matters worse, the number of Uchinaguchi native speakers has
fallen. Japanese government hasn’t moved to protect the language. As proof of
this, Uchinaguchi is not introduced into official education of Okinawa. There
is no class for Uchinaguchi in elementary, junior high or high school. Even if
there were a class of Uchinaguchi in universities in Okinawa, all university students
may not be able to take the class.
Professor Arakaki points out that concepts
and practices of culture and identity reside within and are expressed through
language. We young people in Okinawa had been able to inherit this language
naturally through elderly people in Okinawa, we might have been able to choose
Uchinaguchi or Japanese language to communicate with Japanese people or
Okinawans. But, at one point in history, it was impossible because Okinawan
history shows that the people were deprived of their ability to speak
Uchinaguchi. Despite this, we still have a small chance today to inherit this
valuable language. It is transitional stage in the development of
Uchinaguchi now because Uchinaguchi
native speakers are still in Okinawa. If we lose Uchinaguchi for good, the
language will never be used again by Okinawan people. It will be nearly
impossible to restore Uchinaguchi if all of the native speakers in Okinawa pass
away.
If we aim to protect Uchinaguchi, we should
talk in Uchinaguchi to native speakers passively. Then, we can become used to
the language little by little. According to Professor Arakaki, we have to learn
Ryukyuan history and education about Okinawa more deeply. Although history
clearly shows that Uchinaguchi is a language, you can see today how the
Ministry of Education obscures that history and forces by regulations and rules
Okinawan people to speak only standard Japanese.
It is plain to see that Uchinagchi faces the real
problem of becoming extinct. If you understand the reason why the language is
important and should be protected, you will know that it is also important to
learn the language that has somehow managed to survive and what this means to the
existence of Okinawa in the future. If we want to prevent Uchinaguchi from
becoming extinct, we must take action now.
Sources
Aoki, M. 2013. Okinawans explore secession option. The Japan Times News. Retrieved
Anderson, M and Heinrich, P 2014. Language crisis in the Ryukyus.
Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Jayalakshmi, K. 2014. Languages Dying out Faster than Biodiversity Loss and Main
Cause are Economic Growth, Says Study. International Bussiness Times. Retrieved
from：http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/languages-dying-out-faster-biodiversity-loss-main-
cause-economic-growth-says-study-1463919
Laccino, L. 2015. UNESCO: Half of
world’s languages will disappear by 2100.
International Business Times.
Retrieved from: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/unesco-
half-worlds-languages-will-disappear-by-2100-1498154
Mie, A.
2012. Okinawans push to preserve unique language. The Japan Times News.
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