Ainu

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A language of Japan

ISO 639-3
ain
Alternate Names
Ainu Itak
Autonym
アイヌ イタㇰ‎ (Aynu itak)
User Population

2 (2008 A. Vovin). Ethnic population: 13,000 (2019 E. Jozuka).

Location

Hokkaido prefecture: Kuril and Tsishima islands.

Language Status

8b (Nearly extinct).

Classification
Language isolate
Dialects

Sakhalin (Saghilin), Taraika, Hokkaido (Ezo, Yezo), Kuril (Shikotan, Tsishima). There were at least 19 dialects. The last speaker of Sakhalin Ainu, Take Asai, died in 1994.

Typology

SOV; postpositions; noun head final; case-marking; verb affixes mark person, number; aspect; 12 consonant and 5 vowel phonemes; non-tonal.

Language Use

Elderly only. Shifted to Japanese [jpn].

Language Development

Newspapers. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 1897. Small numbers of young people are learning Ainu in classes; revival efforts underway (Bradley 2007a).

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Ainu
Writing

Katakana script [Kana], primary usage. Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Ainu [aib] in China is a different, unrelated language.