Amami Japanese
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| Amami Japanese | |
|---|---|
| トン普通語 | |
| Native to | Japan |
| Region | Kagoshima Prefecture (Amami Ōshima) |
| Ethnicity | Ryukyuan |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| IETF | ja-u-sd-jp46 |
Amami Japanese (トン普通語, Ton-futsūgo) is a variety of the Japanese language spoken on the island of Amami Ōshima.[1][2] Its native term Ton-futsūgo means "potato standard". Much like Okinawan Japanese, it is a descendant of Standard Japanese but with influences from the traditional Ryukyuan languages (in this case, Amami Japanese is influenced by the Amami Ōshima language).
In the past, the locals of Amami Ōshima spoke the Amami Ōshima language, which belongs to the northern group of the larger Ryukyuan language family. However, as a result of Japanese assimilation policies, a language shift towards Japanese began. The same occurrence happened in the other parts of the Ryukyu Islands.[3]
Despite Japanese becoming widespread in Amami Ōshima, a substrate from the Amami language was present.[2] This caused the creation of Amami Japanese, known locally as Ton-futsūgo. Amami Japanese was looked down upon for much of its existence. However, in modern times, the variety is viewed positively by its speakers.[2]
