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

从1997年到1999年的三年时间里，对冲绳主要岛屿的一个未经研究的地区进行了试点研究。这项研究题为《冲绳库尼卡米语调查》，得到了文部省和附属研究基金(Kagaku Kenkyuhi Hojokin)的支持。1997年的研究目标是在库尼加米区的贝诺基说的贝诺基方言和在贝诺基附近的奥库说的奥库方言，而在接下来的几年里，研究的目标是在岛上扎美岛附近的托卡什岛说的托卡什基方言。本研究的目的是从音韵、动词形容词、助词、词汇等几个方面对这三种方言的特点进行梳理和梳理。研究发现：(1)标准日语中以[w]开头的音节倾向于以[gw]…开头更多。例如，[gwahamunsa：](青年)。不用说，在某些情况下，首字母[w]仍然存在。例如，[Wain](打破)。这一现象在其他库尼加米方言和琉球方言中显然是不存在的，尤其是贝诺基和奥库方言。应该指出的是，这一发现很重要，因为它成功地描述了在母语人士显著减少的这个阶段，这两种方言的剩余特征之一。这一发现也有望成为日语音系学研究的重要数据。(2)在大久方言中可以观察到送气-非送气代词。例如。(3)标准日语中以[k]开头的音节往往以[h]开头。托卡斯基方言的特点是：(1)其语音结构总体上与书里、那霸方言相近；(2)声母[h]由[Ф]向[h]过渡。如上所述，仅语音特征就表明琉球方言在语言研究领域的重要性。尽管如此，冲绳的大量方言仍未得到研究。弄清这些“未研究地区”的方言特点将是我们的当务之急之一。较少

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