Ainu, also known as Ainu Itak, is a language isolate spoken by no more than 15 remaining fluent speakers on Hokkaido Island in Japan and Sakhalin Island in Russia. There are two primary dialects, Tsishima and Sakhalin.
Related categories 2
Sites 5
- The Ainu Language and Japan's Ancient History Collection of papers concerning the history and possible genetic relationships of the Ainu language. There is also a collection of e-mail correspondence concerning the topic.
- Literatures and Materials on the Ainu Language for Learners Extensive bibliography of printed and audiovisual materials, as well as a collection of links to web pages on the subject. Bilingual site (English and Japanese).
- John Batchelor Life story of John Batchelor (1854-1944), the Englishman who became the first westerner to learn the Ainu language, write its grammar in English, and make the Ainu known in the western world.
- Aekirushi Ainu folklore in Ainu.
- The Ainu Language Survey of the language, with extensive discussion of its potential linguistic relationships and the origin of the Ainu people.