But I have met a couple of ryukyuans and they really are a lot different, it's a related language not a "dialect" as many Yamato people like to refer to it as. And they look very different- certain parts of Hawaii have a lot of Okinawan people, and when I see current Okinawa residents, they look to me like they're from Hilo Hawaii.
Hell even Ryukyu is a weird word, it's the japanized pronunciation of Ruuchuu or Luchu
As a history professor once told me, the difference between a "dialect" and a "language" is a standing army.
But yeah the Okinawans have always gotten the shaft from the mainland Japanese government, the fact that they have to play host to nearly all of the occupying American military forces is one part of that. We're thankfully past the days when their language and religion were illegal but the legacy of fascist Japan's policies lives on.
That's sorta how it always goes
But I have met a couple of ryukyuans and they really are a lot different, it's a related language not a "dialect" as many Yamato people like to refer to it as. And they look very different- certain parts of Hawaii have a lot of Okinawan people, and when I see current Okinawa residents, they look to me like they're from Hilo Hawaii.
Hell even Ryukyu is a weird word, it's the japanized pronunciation of Ruuchuu or Luchu
As a history professor once told me, the difference between a "dialect" and a "language" is a standing army.
But yeah the Okinawans have always gotten the shaft from the mainland Japanese government, the fact that they have to play host to nearly all of the occupying American military forces is one part of that. We're thankfully past the days when their language and religion were illegal but the legacy of fascist Japan's policies lives on.