Summary

As a result of globalization, minor languages around the world are on the verge of extinction. In February 2009, UNESCO announced that in Japan the dialects in almost all regions of Okinawa, the Amami dialect in Kagoshima, and the Hachijo dialect are in danger. They are of great value for the study of not only regional dialects but also historical linguistics and general linguistics because these endangered dialects often retain ancient Japanese features that are already lost in other dialects and exhibit language systems quite different from other dialects. These dialects are also drawing attention regarding how their variants were formed, because they are often different from village to village.

This project involves researchers across Japan who have made achievements in fieldwork on these endangered dialects, explaining their features, and clarifying the formation processes that have produced their diverse variants. We also record these dialects on tape and make the recordings available to the public so that knowledge of these dialects can be disseminated to the people.