Ryukyuan Perspectives for Language Reclamation

If languages are naturally transmitted in a stable self-regulatory society, then we can say that such a society has not existed in the Ryukyu Islands for many generations. Domination from outside—by the Japanese mainland and the US—has destabilized Ryukyuan society for more than a century and, as an effect thereof, Ryukyuan languages have become endangered. Endangered languages can be reinvigorated, revitalized, and reclaimed, but this requires addressing the social, cultural, and linguistic causes of societal destabilization.