Japonicspråken

Japonicspråken refers to the Japonic language family, a small group of related languages spoken in and around Japan. The family includes two main branches: Japanese, the language of the main islands, and the Ryukyuan languages spoken in the Ryukyu archipelago, with varieties such as Okinawan, Amami, Miyako, Yaeyama, and Yonaguni. Most linguists agree that these languages form a single genetic family, though the exact internal subgrouping, especially within Ryukyuan, remains a topic of research.

Japonic languages are typically agglutinative, with a subject–object–verb word order and a complex system of honorifics. They share features such as rich verbal morphology and a pitch-accent or intonation system that can affect meaning.

Writing systems vary within the family. Japanese uses kanji together with the syllabaries hiragana and katakana. Ryukyuan languages have historically used Chinese characters and kana as well, but many lack standardized orthographies and community literacy programs vary. In practice, Japanese is widely used for formal education and media, while Ryukyuan languages often rely on local communities for transmission and documentation efforts.

Geographically, Japanese has the largest number of speakers and is spoken across Japan. Ryukyuan languages are primarily spoken in the Ryukyu Islands and are increasingly endangered due to language shift toward Japanese. Documentation projects and revitalization programs aim to support intergenerational transmission and linguistic diversity within the Japonic family.

Scholarly discussions on the origin of Japonic languages point to Proto-Japonic as the reconstructed common ancestor, with various hypotheses about external affiliations remaining disputed. The prevailing view treats Japonic as a valid and coherent language family.