Shuri Castle king and queen

Great traditional dress!

Well.........

Chinese historical records such as the Shiji (‘Records of the Grand Historian’ 109–91 BC), the Sanguoji (‘Records of the Three States,’ 284 AD) and the Houhanshu (‘History of the Later Han,’ 5th century) indicate that the Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic, Koreanic, and Japanic languages have all spread to their present-day locations from an area comprising Korea, southern Manchuria and Inner Mongolia.

If my geography is correct Manchuria was located in China.

Decoding of Jomon woman's genome suggests common ancestor unites Japanese and Han Chinese

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/14/national/decoding-jomon-womans-whole-genome-suggests-common-ancestry-han-chinese/

Therefore. if Ryukyu language is part of the Japonic family that originated in Manchuria (China). DNA evidence shows that the Jomon are related to the Han Chinese. In addition, the Yayoi are a mixture of both southern Chinese and Korean peoples by two migration periods. OssanAmerica also said that the Ryukyu people are more Jomon than modern Japanese people on the mainland.

It leads to the Ryukyu people having a closer connection to China, and the same is true for some Japanese people who may not want to admit it through their connection to the Yayoi people. It all leads back to some area in modern or prehistoric China.

So, who is right now??? It seems some people have a stronger argument than others and some just want to argue because they do not want to be wrong!

@Jpn_Guy

Japonic languages are a family of languages that includes Japanese and its dialects, but goes beyond them to include other languages to.

I am not sure why you are arguing with this well-established fact. Cheers

I am not sure why you keep trying to put meanings or intentions into other people's posts to appear to be correct (strawman) when either you are not reading carefully, or you can not go beyond your own ego to realize that you made a mistake; thus, you are wrong in this instance.

Being an English teacher or professor does not always make you correct!

Jpn guy say:

No doubt this language is not a "dialect" (as it gets called for political reasons, as you say). 

LOL! I have receipts, too!

Nice try, though!

@Jpn guy

If you are claiming that the original Ryukyu languages are not just "not Japanese dialects" but also "not even Japonic languages", would you let us know what major linguistic group the original Ryukyu languages belong to?

You inserted yourself into the discussion by using strawman arguments to seem correct. No one mentioned or denied the Ryukyu being placed in the Japonic languages and no one said the original language was closer related to Sinitic languages than Japonic languages. I clearly identified was not correct information by OssanAmerica and illogical about your argument. Even Numan only mentioned the cultural connection to China. Your assumptions are betraying you. Everything I mentioned, you have already said that I was correct, so like I said you seem to be inserting strawman arguments for no apparent reason but to seem correct.

Not enough experience to detect the nuances between the languages but there are striking similarities with Okinawan and Taiwanese architecture (clay tile roofs and ohakas) along with ancient Chinese clothing. I could see the common elements between Okinawa and Taiwan from my trips to Taiwan from Okinawa.

jpn guy

So in your own post, you directly contradict yourself (and your latest post saying that the original Ryukyu language is unrelated to Japanese). 

LOL! The only thing is your lack of rebuttal for my previous post. I guess it is not really odd because you never had a rebuttal in your previous post, too. At least not logical rebuttal.

By the way, it is really a good idea to quote my words and selectively leave out the part of the quote that explains why you are wrong and I am correct in the same article.

**However, the languages are not mutually intelligible with each other. Additionally, **for socio-political and ideological reasons, they have often been classified within Japan as dialects of Japanese. **

Nice try, though!

A bit odd really.

You are projecting! :)

@jpn guy

So in your own post, you directly contradict yourself (and your latest post saying that the original Ryukyu language is unrelated to Japanese). 

LOL! The only thing is your lack of rebuttal for my previous post. I guess it is not really odd because you never had a rebuttal in your previous post, too. At least not logical rebuttal.

By the way, it is really a good idea to quote my words and selectively leave out the part of the quote that explains why you are wrong and I am correct in the same article.

**However, the languages are not mutually intelligible with each other. Additionally, **for socio-political and ideological reasons, they have often been classified within Japan as dialects of Japanese. **

Nice try, though!

A bit odd really.

You are projecting! :)

@jpn guy or “OssanAmerica”

This may well be true, but, again, it does not affect the linguistic relationships. 

Chinese is a SVO language (for the most part). Japanese and Ryukyu are SOV. The subject, object, verb order is one of the most fundamental of all linguistic properties. You can quote all the history you like, but you can't make Ryukyu languages Sinitic rather than Japonic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryukyuan_languages#Grammar

LOL! You comment about using Wikipedia then use Wiki as your evidence.

First, you imply I and others are making statements that you can’t prove. Who on this article said that Original Ryukyu languages are related Sinotoc languages? Please show evidence.

Second, the same Wiki sources proved that OssanAmerica is not correct. The original language is not a Japanese dialect. The modern version is dialect because Japan has ruled Okinawa since the 16th Century forcing the inhabitants to assimilate to modern Japanese. The original is not!

Third, Turkish also uses SOV word order. It does not make it related to Japanese. The same is true for the Ryukyu language.

Ryūkyū should be independent.

zichiOct. 31 01:36 pm JST

Okinawa is already the second poorest of the prefectures. How poor would an independent one be? The base incomes only provide 5%.

But you forget about the "sympathy budget" (Omoiyari). To help offset the cost of hosting the bases. Okinawa received in 2019 the amount of Y197 Billion. Do not confuse the point of the picture with your anti base agenda.

This is a big deal to Okinawans. I used to go and photograph the procession on Kokusai-Dori ever year (2004-2011). It wonderful to see this Ryukyuan tradition is upheld.

@OssanAmerica

The Ryukuan language is much closer to Japanese dialects

Wrong!

in Ryukyuan, Shima kutuba, literally "Island Speech"), also Lewchewan or Luchuan (/luːˈtʃuːən/), are the indigenous languages of the Ryukyu Islands, the southernmost part of the Japanese archipelago. Along with the Japanese language, they make up the Japonic language family. However, the languages are not mutually intelligible with each other. Additionally, for socio-political and ideological reasons, they have often been classified within Japan as dialects of Japanese. The language shift towards the use of Standard Japanese and dialects like Okinawan Japanese has resulted in these languages becoming endangered.

Read the last three sentences, so we are clear that you are not exactly correct. It is no different than the myth that Japan is a homogenous society!

and genetically the people are even closer to the Jomon than most Japanese.

True! Also, as well as the indigenous people of Taiwan and Hokkaido. Do not forget the Jomon were also heterogenous. China as people are starting realize with Uyghur and Tibetan people are ruled by the mostly Han people. China has many ethnic minorities on the mainland.

The Chinese kingdoms were already making contact with Ryukyu by the 3rd BCE. They described contact with them in various documents and their matriarchal system which was true in an early part of the Ryukyu people's history. By the 14th century many of the Ryukyu officials were descendant of the Chinese immigrants who were sent originally by the Chinese government.

This was all before the Japanese invasion by the 16th century. China already had a cultural and genetic foothold in the Ryukyu kingdom before Japan.

The Ryukuan language is much closer to Japanese dialects, and genetically the people are even closer to the Jomon than most Japanese.

The Manchus and Han were culturally close, but their languages are totally unrelated.

NumanToday  01:27 pm JST

From the attire, one can see that the Ryukyu Kingdom is more culturally related to Mainland China than mainland Japan.

The Ryukuan language is much closer to Japanese dialects, and genetically the people are even closer to the Jomon than most Japanese. The attire is the result of a long history of trade and relations, including being a tributary state of the Qing dynasty.

 How poor would an independent one be? The base incomes only provide 5%.

and the Okinawa government gets 60% its revenue from the Central Government. I wonder if they would be able to stand on there own, probably not.

It is good to see the rebuilding of Shuri Castle taking places after the fire. The rebuilding should be finished by 2026.

From the attire, one can see that the Ryukyu Kingdom is more culturally related to Mainland China than mainland Japan.

No wonder Okinawans especially the older generations do not like the J-gov.

The costumes, especially the man's, looks like a fusion of Japanese and Chinese. Back in the days when East Asian relations were so much better.

King and Queen of Ryūkyū, surely.

As cosplay goes, this is quite impressive, got to give it to them..