The native Okinawan language is Ryukyuan. It differs from Japanese in vocabulary and grammar. Because most Okinawans were obligated to learn Japanese, Ryukyuan is nearly an extinct language.

Though Ryukyuan languages and Japanese belong to the same family, linguists reckon they have about as much in common as English and German. But when Japan annexed the islands in the 1870s, it ...

The Japanese language is a member of the Japonic language family (which also includes the Ryukyuan language spoken on the island of Okinawa). Most Japanese native speakers live in Japan and its ...

Object Details Author Sakiyama, Osamu 1937- Endangered Languages of the Pacific Rim (Project) Notes "This book is on subjects related to Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) languages and a Ryukyuan ...

TOKYO -- The origin of the Japanese language can be traced back to farmers who lived near the West Liao River in northeast China about 9,000 years ago, announced an international team of researchers.

According to Ryukyuan custom, the bones were simply placed in the tomb, rather than being buried, and the scientists only had to gather the remains and reseal the tomb behind them, said Tamagushiku.