An investigation of the Kunigami Benoki-Shimajiri Zamai dialects in Okinawa

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For three years from 1997 to 1999, a pilot study of an unresearched area in the main islands of Okinawa was carried out. The study, entitled "An investigation of the Kunigami Benoki-Shimajiri Zamami dialects in Okinawa", was supported by the Ministry of Education with the subsidiary research fund (Kagaku kenkyuuhi hojokin). The research objective in 1997 was the Benoki dialect spoken in Benoki of the Kunigami district and Oku dialect spoken in Oku near Benoki whereas that in the following yeas was the Tokashiki dialect spoken in Tokashiki island near Zamami island of the Shimajiri district. The aim this study was to clarify and systematize the characteristics of the three dialects in related to the following aspects : phonomics, conjugations of verbs and adjectives particles and lexicon. As far as the phonological features of the Benoki and Oku dialects are concerned, the study reveals the following findings :(1) Syllables beginning with [w] in standard japanese tend to begin with [gw] … More . For instance, [gwahamunsa : ] (youth). Needless to say, there are cases where the initial [w] remain. For instance, [wain] (to break). This phenomenon, which is apparently absent in other Kunigami dialects and Ryuukyuu dialects, characterizes particularly the Benoki and Oku dialects. It should be pointed out that this finding is important in the way that it successfully describe one of the remaining features of the two dialects at this stage when native speakersare remarkably decreasing. This finding is also expected to become an important data for the study of japanese phonorogy.(2) Aspiration-nonaspiration oposition in the Oku dialect can be observed. For example. However, the number of aspiration-nonaspiration pair are deceasing.(3) Syllables beginning with [k] in standard japanese tend to begin with [h]. Characteristics of the Tokashiki dialect include the followings.(1) The phonological structure of Tokashiki dialect is in general close to that of the Shuri and Naha dialects.(2) The initial [h] is in transition to change from [Ф] to [h]. Phonological features alone as mentioned above indicate the importance of the Ryuukyuu dialects in the area of linguistic study. Nevertheless, a large number of dialects in Okinawa remain unresearched. It will be one of our urgent tasks to clarify the feature of dialects spoken in those "unresearched areas". Less