Neeryu
Level 3
What's your Minecraft Username?: Neeryu
What's the title of your suggestion?: New language | Ainuic (Hokkaido Ainu)
What's your suggestion?:
I believe a short explanation about Ainuic would be helpful!
About Ainuic
The Ainu languages (/ˈaɪnuː/ EYE-noo), sometimes known as Ainuic, are a small language family, often regarded as a language isolate, historically spoken by the Ainu people of northern Japan and neighboring islands.
The primary varieties of Ainu are alternately considered a group of closely related languages or divergent dialects of a single language isolate. The only surviving variety is Hokkaido Ainu, which UNESCO lists as critically endangered. Sakhalin Ainu and Kuril Ainu are now extinct.
Wouldn't characters intuitively know the language since it originates from Japan?
In a nutshell, Ainuic (referring only to the Hokkaido variety, as Sakhalin and Kuril are now extinct) is a critically endangered language considered as a "language isolate", meaning it has no demonstrable genetic relationship with any other languages.
As such, despite being spoken in northern Japan, Ainuic is a language completely different from japanese except for forms of writing. Speaking japanese would not help in understanding Ainuic, only the written letters would be common to both languages (as much as latin letters are common to many languages).
Wikipedia references:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_languages [Ainuic]
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_language#cite_ref-Hokkaido_8-0 [Hokkaido Ainu]
Is it realistic for characters to learn about this language?
Despite being critically endangered or nearly extinct, it is realistic for characters to learn the language if they seek to do so. Hokkaido Ainu has been a surviving language thanks to community efforts towards passing on the language's legacy. Surveys made in 2006, 2013 and 2017 show a growing interest in the younger generations, and classes are held to teach Hokkaido Ainu.
Data source: [2017 Hokkaido Ainu Life Survey Report] (PDF). Hokkaidō Government. 北 海 道 環 境 生 活 部. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
How will this benefit the server and community?:
I believe adding Ainuic (once again, only the Hokkaido variety) would allow to develop a very interesting aspect of the roleplay on SchoolRP, mostly the kind linked to folklore and historic events (old lore in general).
This language would be typically spoken by characters who took a keen interest in Japanese linguistics, folklore or history.
What's the title of your suggestion?: New language | Ainuic (Hokkaido Ainu)
What's your suggestion?:
I believe a short explanation about Ainuic would be helpful!
About Ainuic
The Ainu languages (/ˈaɪnuː/ EYE-noo), sometimes known as Ainuic, are a small language family, often regarded as a language isolate, historically spoken by the Ainu people of northern Japan and neighboring islands.
The primary varieties of Ainu are alternately considered a group of closely related languages or divergent dialects of a single language isolate. The only surviving variety is Hokkaido Ainu, which UNESCO lists as critically endangered. Sakhalin Ainu and Kuril Ainu are now extinct.
Wouldn't characters intuitively know the language since it originates from Japan?
In a nutshell, Ainuic (referring only to the Hokkaido variety, as Sakhalin and Kuril are now extinct) is a critically endangered language considered as a "language isolate", meaning it has no demonstrable genetic relationship with any other languages.
As such, despite being spoken in northern Japan, Ainuic is a language completely different from japanese except for forms of writing. Speaking japanese would not help in understanding Ainuic, only the written letters would be common to both languages (as much as latin letters are common to many languages).
Wikipedia references:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_languages [Ainuic]
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_language#cite_ref-Hokkaido_8-0 [Hokkaido Ainu]
Is it realistic for characters to learn about this language?
Despite being critically endangered or nearly extinct, it is realistic for characters to learn the language if they seek to do so. Hokkaido Ainu has been a surviving language thanks to community efforts towards passing on the language's legacy. Surveys made in 2006, 2013 and 2017 show a growing interest in the younger generations, and classes are held to teach Hokkaido Ainu.
| 2006 | 2013 | 2017 | |
| 60s age group | 2.3% | 1.9% | 0.4% |
| 30s age group | 0% | 0% | 2.3% |
| Overall | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.7% |
Data source: [2017 Hokkaido Ainu Life Survey Report] (PDF). Hokkaidō Government. 北 海 道 環 境 生 活 部. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
How will this benefit the server and community?:
I believe adding Ainuic (once again, only the Hokkaido variety) would allow to develop a very interesting aspect of the roleplay on SchoolRP, mostly the kind linked to folklore and historic events (old lore in general).
This language would be typically spoken by characters who took a keen interest in Japanese linguistics, folklore or history.
