Heritage Okinawan language and Japanese Okinawan: A comparative analysis of discourse structure and communication strategies

• Project/Area Number: 23520466
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Linguistics
• Research Institution: University of the Ryukyus
• Principal Investigator: MIYAHIRA Katsuyuki 琉球大学, 法文学部, 教授 (10264467)
• Research Collaborator: Petrucci Peter R. マシー大学, 人文社会科学部, 上級講師
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-28 – 2017-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2016)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,110,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2011: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
• Keywords: 継承沖縄語 / 相互行為助詞 / モダリティ / 言語景観 / 言語イデオロギー / 国際情報交換 / 会話分析 / コミュニケーション方略 / 大和沖縄語 / ニュージーランド / 米国 / 国際情報交流

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study addressed some issues of discourse organization and sociocultural utilities of heritage Okinawan language and Okinawa-substrate Japanese, a contact language between Japanese and Okinawan. It discovered some unique features of an utterance-final modality marker, “shiyoo ne.” It also identified sequential positions and respective functions of interactional particles, sa, yo, and wake in Okinawan talk-in-interaction.
Sociolinguistic analyses of Okinawan terms and expressions used in Okinawan diasporas led to a finding of a transnational network of Okinawans and Okinawans-at-heart, otherwise known as “digital Okinawa,” which has been recognized to play a significant role in promoting heritage language learning. Likewise, the analyses of linguistic landscape and commodification of Okinawan language revealed competing language attitudes and language ideologies that are now pervasive in local Okinawan communities.

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Massey University(New Zealand)
• [Journal Article] 沖縄ことばのモダリティ標識「しようね」の一考察 (2016)
  • Author(s): 宮平勝行
  • Journal Title: 言語文化研究紀要 SCRIPSIMUS Volume: 25 Pages: 125-148
  • NAID: 120005973638
  • Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] “Can you call it Okinawan Japanese?”: World language delineations of an endangered language on YouTube (2016)
  • Author(s): Peter Petrucci & Katsuyuki MIYAHIRA
  • Journal Title: Journal of World Languages Volume: 3(3) Pages: 204-223
  • DOI: 10.1080/21698252.2017.1308305
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Uchinaaguchi as an online symbolic resource within and across the Okinawan diaspora. (2012)
  • Author(s): Miyahira, K. & Petrucci, P. R.
  • Journal Title: Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages Volume: n/a
• [Journal Article] Okinawan language (Uchinaaguchi) in the linguistic landscape of Heiwa Dori and Makishi Market. (2012)
  • Author(s): Petrucci, P. R. & Miyahira, K.
  • Journal Title: Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages Volume: n/a
• [Presentation] Laughing at US military occupation: Language play and political contestation in an Okinawan comedy series (2015)
  • Author(s): Miyahira, K. & Petrucci, P.
  • Organizer: グローバリゼーションの社会言語学
  • Place of Presentation: 香港大学
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-03
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 沖縄くとぅば「～しようね」の相互行為モダリティ (2014)
  • Author(s): 宮平勝行
  • Organizer: 国際危機言語学会
  • Place of Presentation: 沖縄国際大学
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-17 – 2014-09-20
• [Presentation] 復帰前後の経験 (2014)
  • Author(s): 宮平勝行
  • Organizer: 日本コミュニケーション学会
  • Place of Presentation: 琉球大学
  • Year and Date: 2014-06-21 – 2014-06-22
• [Presentation] “Framing and reframing pirin paran katayabira online: The construction of Okinawan and Japanese language ideologies on the participatory web” (2013)
  • Author(s): Peter Petrucci and Katsuyuki Miyahira
  • Organizer: The Fourth International Conference on Multicultural Discourses
  • Place of Presentation: Hangzhou, China
• [Presentation] 市民生活における沖縄語の言語景観 (Uchinaaguchi in the linguistic landscape of Okinawan community life.)
  • Author(s): 宮平勝行
  • Organizer: 2011 Symposium of the International Association for Language and Intercultural Communication
  • Place of Presentation: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
• [Book] "Interactional Particles sa and yo in Talk-in-interaction in Okinawa." Language Crisis in the Ryukyus (2015)
  • Author(s): Katsuyuki Miyahira & Peter Petrucci
  • Total Pages: 21
  • Publisher: Cambridge Scholars
• [Book] "Language Preservation in a Transnational context: Community efforts to maintain Uchinaaguchi in Sao Paulo." Language Crisis in the Ryukyus (2015)
  • Author(s): Peter Petrucci & Katsuyuki Miyahira
  • Total Pages: 20
  • Publisher: Cambridge Scholars
• [Book] 石井敏・久米昭元（編）『異文化コミュニケーション事典』（母語と公用語，共通語と方言，コミュニケーションの民族誌，琉球・沖縄） (2013)
  • Author(s): 宮平勝行
  • Total Pages: 8
  • Publisher: 春風社
• [Funded Workshop] Interactional Competence and Practices in a Second Language (2017)
  • Place of Presentation: Neuchatel, Switzerland
  • Year and Date: 2017-01-18