Miyako Language

We experimentally investigate, by means of a novel gestureelicitation paradigm, the spontaneous spatial frames of reference (FoRs) used by bilingual individuals who speak Japanese (which has been labeled as a “relative” language) and one of the endangered Ryukyuan languages (Miyako or Shiraho) whose speakers have been reported to routinely use absolute FoRs. How would these last elderly bilingual speakers spontaneously resolve the clashing FoRs the two languages they speak bring forth? We find that despite the fact that Japanese and these Ryukyuan languages have full corresponding grammatical and lexical resources for expressing both, relative and absolute FoR, Ryukyuan speakers tend to markedly prefer the latter gesturally. Methodologically, the results, which are consistent with data obtained with standard FoRs methods, corroborate the reliability of the novel gesture elicitation task, which adds to the battery of techniques for studying FoRs a method that assesses effortless spon...

The tomato pathotype of Alternaria alternata causes Alternaria stem canker of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by producing a host-specific AAL-toxin. The chemical structure and biological activities of AAL-toxin are analogous to those of the mycotoxin fumonisin. Determination of pathogen development and toxin production in infected tomato plants is of prime importance for pathological evaluation and risk assessment of AAL-toxin. On a resistant cultivar, AAL-toxin and the pathogen were restricted to a small region surrounding only the initial inoculation site. On the other hand, widespread distribution of the toxin and the pathogen were detected in a susceptible cultivar. The pathological signifi cance and contamination risk from the toxin were supported by the results of in planta production of the toxin in diseased tomato plants.

In this study, the phonemic status of the close central vowel [ɨ] in the Nakachi dialect of the Southern Ryukyuan language of Irabu is examined. This study focuses on quantitative phonological analysis to clarify the distribution of [ɨ] and phonetically similar sounds in relation to the preceding and following phonetic environments and the position in the word. The distribution of the relevant sounds [i], [ɨ], [s̞ ], and [ɹ] are examined using a large set of data from a dictionary (Tomihama 2013). This study demonstrates how distributional analysis can be conducted computationally. The results confirm the general distribution of sounds in the Nakachi dialect, as shown by Tomihama (2013), and provide objective evidence that the close central vowel [ɨ] is an allophone of /i/.

Previous work on colour lexicons focussed on universal patterns in their structure and evolution. We collected new colour naming data in Japanese and three under-described Ryukyuan languages (Amami, Miyako and Yaeyama) to investigate semantic variation and change in the colour lexicon of related languages in a modern context. We found several new colour terms (e.g., midori and guriin for ‘green’) in the lexicon of Ryukyuan speakers, apparently resulting from contact with Standard Japanese and English. A comparison of our data with historical data suggests that modern Ryukyuan colour systems are closer to modern Japanese than they are to their historic pasts. However, we also found that modern-day Ryukyuan languages are more similar to each other than they are to Japanese. These findings show the scope of semantic changes that can occur through outside influence and highlight the need for fresh empirical data in the study of semantics in related languages.

Аннотация Статья посвящена анализу одного из проявлений процесса взаимодействия культур и народов-этнической дискриминации, которая, с одной стороны, ведет к стиранию культурного и этнического многообразия, а с другойоптимизирует этнозащитные механизмы народа. Известно, что в японском обществе исторически сложилось особое восприятие представителей других культур, в связи с чем проблемы ассимиляции и дискриминации малых народов вызывает научный интерес у исследователей. Стереотипы, сформировавшиеся в Японии в отношении айнов, имеют немалое влияние не только на взаимоотношения между ними и японцами, также на их экономическое, социальное и культурное развитие. В статье рассмотрены основные проблемы, вызванные дискриминацией, с которыми сталкиваются современные представители народа айну. Ключевые слова: айны, коренной народ Японии, межэтническое взаимодействие, этническая дискриминация, национальная идентичность, права национальных меньшинств, айнская культура

We have developed a menu-selection-based Japanese input method for a pen device. To obtain user-input kanji-form text rapidly, the system requires sequence of consonant. Following this, the user selects kanji-form candidates inferred by the system. In some situations, consonant sequences can trigger an explosion of kanji-form candidates. Therefore, we have implemented a method for reducing candidates through vowel fixing. The user can input consonants, and select kanji-form candidates fluidly, using FlowMenu.

In this paper we will show that Ikema, a dialect of Miyako Ryukyuan, has a three-tone system, where three tonal classes, Types A, B, and C, are lexically distinguished, contra the previous studies which have claimed that it has a two-tone system. The results of our quantitative analysis of production data also revealed that Type A words are remarkably small in number, indicating that Type A words are in the process of merging into Type B, as a result of ongoing linguistic change.

According to the early work of Noam Chomsky competence is described as a speaker-hearer's knowledge of the language and an idealized capacity to acquire language which is superior to performance (language in actual use). In this paper, competence is differentiated from awareness and is regarded not as an idealized capacity, but as a set of skills and general theoretical knowledge which can be acquired gradually by learner through his/her education and experience. The results of the fieldwork conducted in 2013 in Kansai and Kanto regions entitled Nihon no wakamono no gengo ishiki to komyunikēshon ni tai suru ishiki (Japanese Youth's Language Awareness and Awareness Toward Communication) was supported by the analysis of Internet resources and analysis of online and paper dictionaries of wakamono kotoba ('youth language'), kyampasu kotoba ('campus language') and gyarugo ('gals words'). The survey was divided into two parts: First Language Awareness and Second Language Awareness.

Focusing on the Shuri dialect of Okinawan, this paper poses the question of whether Ryukyuan languages display evidence that speakers have adopted the analysis of verbal suffix alternations proposed for Japanese by de Chene (2016) ("Analysis A"), according to which consonant-stem allomorphs are the underlying representations of alternating suffixes and regular vowel-stem allomorphs are derived by intervocalic epenthesis of r at verb stem boundary. It is found that there is abundant evidence for the adoption of Analysis A in the history of pre-Shuri and that the contemporary language illustrates the logical endpoint of the changes that analysis entails, namely the total assimilation of vowel-stem inflection to the inflectional pattern of r-stems. Alternative interpretations of the innovative forms taken as confirmation of Analysis A are considered and rejected, notably interpretations that appeal to proportional analogy based on r-stem forms. When we broaden the focus to Ryukyuan as a whole, we find that all Ryukyuan languages other than Miyako display clear evidence for the adoption of Analysis A, confirming its naturalness for the alternations in question.

In this paper, we report extensive fieldwork results concerning the tonal pattern of the fused progressive verbal forms in the Nakasuji Tarama dialect of Southern Ryukyuan Miyako. There were three main results: 1. Based on the tonal pattern of the fused progressive form of k- 'come', the existence of empty prosodic words must be posited; 2. even if in some environments the progressive verbal forms seem to form only one prosodic word at the surface level, they must nevertheless be analyzed as forming two prosodic words at the underlying level; and 3. in the case of some of the fused progressive verbal forms, there exists an alternation in the prosodic structure between the falling and rising patterns, a phenomenon that is not predicted to occur according to the previous research so far. Based on these results, we propose a new analysis concerning the derivation rules of the prosodic word. We argue that the prosodic word is not derived through regular rules at a postlexical level but is instead specified at the underlying level. Lastly, focusing on the surface tonal patterns of the fused form and its non-fused counterpart, we propose a tentative explanation for the alternation found in the prosodic structure of some of the fused progressive verbal forms.

The Miyako-Tarama variety of Southern Ryukyuan has three accent classes (F1, F2 and F0), which are distinguishable according to the existence or non-existence of falling pitch and its place. However, they are neutralized in some environments (Aoi 2012, 2016a, 2016d). In this paper, I focused on two types of accent neutralization, falling neutralization (F1~F2/F0) and leveling neutralization (F1/F2~F0).
I tested the hypothesis for distinguishing and explaining those two types of the accent neutralization. In conclusion, I will insist on the following 2 points: (i) Type F2 does not realize if there is only one Prosodic Word in the Prosodic Phrase (PPh) in question; (ii) the result of my research does not prove the existence of “Enlargement of PPh” (Igarashi 2015).

In this paper, I describe the three-patterned accent system of the Miyako-Tarama variety of Southern Ryukyuan. The properties of the Tarama accent system can be summarized following three points: (i) it has three accent classes (F1, F2 and F0) and they are distinguishable according to existence or non-existence of falling pitch and the place of it; (ii) Prosodic Word (PWd), a prosodic unit which is mapped to a root or clitic more than 1 mora, make it possible to generalize the realization of those accent types; (iii) those three accent classes are neutralized in some environments.

C onflict is one thing we usually experience in our lives. This can be internal or external one.   This study is aimed at describing the internal conflict experienced by Zenchi Naigu. The source of data is Akutagawa Ryūnosuke’s  short story entitled “Hana” (Nose). This conflict is analyzed using personality theory proposed by Freud,  which includes Id, Ego, and Superego. In this theory, it is said that there is a conflict between Id and Superego which is caused by the unstable (weak) function of Ego.  The steps to analyze the data are reading the short story, analyzing the conflict and interpreting the finding. The result showed that Zenchi Naigu experienced that conflict because of his desire to shorten his nose. Finally he realized that his desire is against his destiny. Keywords : Psychoanalysis, internal conflict, id, ego, superego .

The paper provides introductory information on Miyako-Ryukyuan (Miyakoan). Miyakoan belongs to the Sakishima branch of the Japonic language family, the concept of which counterbalances the until-recently prevalent notion that Japan should be a linguistically homogenous country, and Japanese a language isolate with many unintelligible “dialects”. Following the statement that the endangered Miyako-Ryukyuan language is in an urgent need of extensive documentation and in-depth description, as well as producing more works in English devoted to it, the author introduces a few topics that may be of interest to Japanese/ Japonic linguists and language typologists alike: the “apical” vowel, syllabic consonants, focus marking strategies and formal modality markers. Each topic has been exemplified by Miyako-Ryukyuan samples from Nikolay Nevskiy’s Taishō-era handwritten fieldnotes, as retrieved and analyzed by this author.

The object of this presentation is to introduce a prototype of the Digital Museum Project in our attempt at the documentation of Ikema, one of the endangered dialects of Southern Ryukyuan, spoken on Miyakojima Island, Okinawa, Japan. The language is no longer acquired by younger people, and is spoken fluently only by people in their 60's or older. We have been studying one of the dialects of the language spoken in Nishihara since January 2006, and have made recordings of natural discourse and elicitation sessions totaling over 400 hours. The local people, especially the senior generations, are deeply concerned about the imminent disappearance of their language and culture, and have been making every effort to pass them on to younger generations. Their enthusiasm culminated in the creation of a vernacular musical titled Nishihara Muradate (The making of the Nishihara village), which depicts their migration to Nishihara from the Ikema Island, their ancestral island, some 130 years...

It has been widely reported that even advanced level second language learners have problems with grammatical morphemes. Recently, especially in the minimalist framework, a number of studies have focused on the sources of this problem and discussed whether they are at the syntax level or not. In order to contribute to this discussion, we collected neuro-physiological data (the event related potentials) of Japanese learners' sensitivity to ungrammaticality caused by the lack of subject-verb agreement in their L2 English. Our data showed that Japanese learners showed sensitivity to ungrammaticality of the given sentence (P600) when subjects and verbs did not agree in terms of person (e.g., *I answers your letter) and that P600 did not appear when subjects and verbs did not agree in terms of number, even when 3rd person singular —s was overused (e.g., *The teachers answers our questions; *Sam and Adam answers our questions). Based on this finding, it will be suggested that the diffi...

This article introduces prospective aspects of speech morphing technology in the future of voice therapy and its clinical applications. Speech morphing is based on a new speech analysis, modification and synthesis technology called TANDEM-STRAIGHT. Excitation source analysis procedures used in TANDEM-STRAIGHT are potentially able to handle irregular vocal fold vibration patterns found in voice disorders. Use of the new technology in the form of speech morphing will introduce a new strategy by showing the target voice of therapy or operations well in advance using the patient's own voice.

The Japanese Articulation Test (second edition) enables us to analyze several aspects of phonological processes such as place, manner, and voicing/non-voicing of consonants via free descriptions by speech therapists in the "Summary of Phonetic Viewpoint" section. However, it is difficult to conduct detailed analyses of phonological processes without certain knowledge of phonological disorders and processes. In this paper, we introduce a tentative version of the Phonological Process Analysis Tool which can be adjunctively administered with the Japanese Articulation Test (second edition). This tool enables even novice speech therapists to correctly analyze phonological processes by checking against the list on the phonological processes record form. Fifteen phonological processes were chosen as the target phoneme processes for this tool. They were first divided into two broad categories, which were the whole-word and the segment change 広島大学大学院教育学研究科附属特別支援教育実践センター 1) ：〒739-8524 広島県東広島市鏡山 1-1-1

The vocalizations of a nocturnally active seabird, Leach's Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), were studied at their breeding colony on Daikoku Island, Hokkaido, Japan. Three distinct call types were recognized, namely Chatter-call, Purr-call and Screech-call. All were vocalized by both male and female adults. Purr-call vocalizations and those of Screech-calls showed situation-specificities. In the burrows with Purr-call vocalizations, there were two heterosexual birds, but no broods were found. Therefore, this call may be associated with courtship behavior or pair formation. Screech-calls were always vocalized between two consexual birds and seemed to be vocalized during aggressive encounters. Chatter-calls were usually vocalized together with other call types and in various situations, although the aerial birds vocalized only this call type. But situation-specificities were recognized when these situations were divided according to the calls vocalized with Chatter-calls. Some discussion was made about functional interpretation of vocalizations in Leach's Storm-Petrels.