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The Ainu language (アイヌ イタㇰ, Aynu Itak; Japanese: アイヌ語) is spoken by the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It was once spoken in the Kurile Islands, the northern part of Honshu, and the southern half of Sakhalin. Although typologically similar in some respects to Japanese, Ainu is thought to be a language isolate with no relation to other languages. A Paleosiberian grouping is generally accepted.
| Ainu (aynu itak) | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Japan, Russia |
| Region: | Hokkaido, formerly Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, the tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and Tohoku in Honshu |
| Total speakers: | > 1000 |
| RankingThis page tries to present a list of languages by total native speakers . Note, however, that lists such as this may vary somewhat depending upon the definition given to certain terms. In particular, the exact difference between " dialect" and " language": | Not in top 100 |
| GeneticLanguages Most languages are known to belong to language families ("families" hereforth). An accurately identified family is a phylogenetic unit, i. all its members derive from a common ancestor. The ancestor is very seldom known to us directly, since mos classificationLanguages Most languages are known to belong to language families ("families" hereforth). An accurately identified family is a phylogenetic unit, i. all its members derive from a common ancestor. The ancestor is very seldom known to us directly, since mos: | Unclassified Ainu |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639ISO 639 is one of several international standards that lists short codes for language names. ISO 639 consists of different parts, of which two parts are currently published. The other parts are works in progress. Parts of ISO 639 There are two items for I-2 | mis |
| SIL | AIN |
| Linguasphere | 45-B |
Ainu is a moribund language with a small and rapidly dwindling number of speakers. In the town of Nibutani where many of the remaining native speakers live, there are 100 speakers, out of which only 15 use the language every day. In all of Hokkaido, there are perhaps 1000 native speakers not younger than 30 (with few exceptions). Usage among native speakers is increasing so it is no longer accurate to say only 15 people use it regularly as there is a movement to turn the decline in number of speakers around before it is too late. Most of the 150,000 self-proclaimed ethnic Ainu in Japan (many additional Ainu are not aware of their origins or are secretive for fear of discrimination) speak only Japanese, although there is an increasing number of second language learners, especially in Hokkaido, thanks to the efforts of Ainu activist and former Diet member Shigeru Kayano, a native speaker himself.
Ainu has been an endangered language for at least decades. It has a small but recently increasing number of speakers. The number of speakers today (by whatever definition one may use) is not known with any certainty. Most of the 150,000 self-proclaimed ethnic Ainu in Japan (many additional Ainu are not aware of their origins or are secretive for fear of discrimination) speak only Japanese.
Among the speakers (broadly defined), second-language learners currently outnumber native ones. In all of Hokkaido, there are perhaps 1000 native speakers not younger than 30 (with few exceptions). At one time it was said that only 15 people used it on a daily basis. However, usage among native speakers is increasing.
There is currently an active revitalization movement -- mainly in Hokkaido but also elsewhere -- to reverse the centuries-long decline in number of speakers. This has led to an increasing number of second-language learners, especially in Hokkaido, in large part due to the pioneering efforts of Ainu folklorist, activist and former Diet member Shigeru Kayano, himself a native speaker.
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