Overview of the workshop The workshop consists of presentations by established Ryukyuanists, young specialists as well as those who have recently started to engage in the study. Professor Karimata of Univeristy of Ryukyus, one of the most prominent scholars in the current Ryukyu linguistics circle, will present an overview of the research trends as well as his recent study on sound changes in southern Ryukyuan. Professors Serafim and Shinzation, two pioneers in Ryukyuan linguistics in the US, will discuss the important grammatical system known as Kakarimusubi found in some varieties of Ryukyuan, a kind of focus concord, which mostly disappeared from Japanese by the 17th century. A group of young scholars led by Michinori Shimoji a recent ANU graduate and currently a researcher at Gunma Prefectural Women's University, with Shinko Oyakawa of University of Ryukyus will give an overview of the group’s current joint project describing varieties of Ryukyuan. Thomas Pellard of EHESS, Paris, gives the general historical development of Ryukyuan based on his phonological analyses. Other members report on specific varieties of Ryukyuan from both northern and southern branches. Specific topics cover ‘adjectives,’ ‘complex case forms,’ and ‘clitic vs. affix status of a bound morpheme’ The last two presentations are by members of a collaborative research team which began a comprehensive research project focusing on one variety of Miyako, Ikema. Iwasaki and Ono discuss the speakers’ past experiences of language use and their current language competency. Takubo et al. reveal their recent study on the accent system of Ikema. Takubo will also demonstrate his “Digital Museum Project,” a website where some of the data collaboratively collected by the Ikema group has been made available to the public. |