English handbook of indigenous Ainu language published

Dec 20 (NHK) - A group of academics has published what it says is the first-ever English handbook of the language of Japan's indigenous Ainu people. The Ainu once populated a wide area of northern Japan.

Seventeen researchers contributed to the 700-page book recently released by a German publisher.

The book is the result of a seven-year project by the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics aimed at expanding the base of studies beyond Japan.

The Ainu language is a rare tongue that cannot be linked with certainty to any language family.

Most academic papers about the endangered language have been written in Japanese, with few English articles available. ...continue reading

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