Linguistic Treasures: The Value of Dialects This article considers changing attitudes to regional varieties of Japanese that were once looked own upon, explains their historical roots and their value today, considers the threat to dialects today from standard Japanese, and looks at the situation in Tohoku where the decline in Tohoku-ben was worsened by the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 but efforts are being taken to revive it. nippon.com, 23 Mar 2020.
How was a Japanese 'common/standard language' chosen? A short series of Questions and Answers that looks at how Tokyo dialect came to be considered standard Japanese and then spread/enforced on the rest of the country as part of the creation of a modern Japanese nation in the Meiji period. Japanese language.
Japanese Dialects "Japan has a wide variety of distinctive regional dialects. While the spread of standard Japanese, referred to as hyōjungo, has made it easier for people from different areas to communicate, many feel that local vernaculars convey greater warmth and friendliness". This article explains the range of dialects in Japan, differences between them, and the process of standardisation based on the Japanese spoken in the Yamanote district of Tokyo. nippon.com, 4 Feb 2017.
Japanese dialects This article explains Japanese dialects in terms of four main groups - Eastern, Western, Kyushu and Hachijo - as well as mentioning the emergence of Okinawan Japanese, and looking at specific local varieties. It looks at little at the processes of language standardisdation in Meiji Japan and the connectuion betwen dialects and local identities. Wikipedia.
Japan: Eight endangered languages in the Japanese archipelago This article reports on UNESCO's dsignation of eight languages in Japan an endangered and shares the views of speakers of these languages in Amamioshima and Hachijojima and of a blogger in Hokkaido on the Ainu language. Global Voices.
Efforts to preserve eight endangered languages discussed at summit in Yoron Experts on the eight languages in Japan considered in danger of becoming extinct by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported on and discussed efforts being taken to preserve and pass down the languages. Ryukyu Shimpo, 14 Nov 2016.
Efforts underway to save Ainu language and culture This article presents the Japanese government's view of the situation of the Ainu language, looking at reasons why the language declined so much from the Meiji period, the current state of the language, and ways to save and revitalise it including recording it, language classes, and a YouTube channel that explains Ainu language and culture. Japan Times, 21 Feb 2022.
Japanese Dialects Explained by Each Region Give some examples of language used in different dialects around Japan but doesn't anyalse them or explain their historical situation. Japan Winder Travel Blog.
Preserving and restoring minority languages and cultures facing threat of extinction Looks at the international framework for preserving endangered languages, especially indigenous languages, and some efforts made in Japan to preserve and restore the Ainu and Ryukyuan languages. Waseda Weekly, Jul 2017.