Also Known As:
どぅなんむぬい, Dunan-Munui, Ryukyuan, Southern Ryukyuan, Saskisima, Saskishima, 与那国語, 与那国方言
Dialects & Varieties
personal communication on Japonic languages
Thomas Dougherty. May 2014. Personal Communication on Japonic languages.
Severely Endangered
100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
<1,000
Native Speakers Worldwide
Speaker Number Trends
Speaker Number Trend 3
Only about half of community members speak the language. Speaker numbers are decreasing steadily, but not at an accelerated pace.
3
Domains of Use
Domain Of Use 4
Used mainly only in the home and/or with family, and may not be the primary language even in these domains for many community members.
4
Transmission
Transmission 3
Some adults in the community are speakers, but the language is not spoken by children.
3
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
No results found.
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
No results found.
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
No results found.
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Comments on speakers
"'Language nest' is implemented at the community level, though the government has issued statements that it is certainly not opposed."
Location and Context
Countries
Japan
Location Description
spoken on Yonaguni (与那国島) of the Yaeyama Islands
Government Support
No results found.
Institutional Support
No results found.
Speakers' Attitude
No results found.
Other Languages Used By The Community
Japanese
Number of Other Language Speakers:
all
Domains of Other Languages:
all
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
Kaidā logograms; kana
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
"Yonaguni was written before the mid-1800s in what are called Kaidā logograms. It's still not clear how full of a writing system it was, but they were certainly used in local record-keeping, and resemble Oracle Bone script, at least in usage." Contemporary speakers write using kana though they don't write much.
Recent Resources
Delving in deep to discover the language of Yamatai, an ancient city whose whereabouts, culture, and
Ikema-san is interviewed in the Yonaguni language on her Yonaguni dictionary