Okinawa prefectural survey finds Okinawans’ use of Shimakutuba apparently decreasing
May 24, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
On May 23 the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) announced the results of the 2018 Shimakutuba (Okinawan language) prefectural survey. In regard to Shimakutuba, those who answered that they “primarily use it,” “use it about as much as standard language” and “use it to the extent of greetings,” accounted for 49.8 percent of respondents, a decrease of 4.8 percentage points from the previous year’s survey.
Separated by age, respondents who said they “primarily use” Shimakutuba and “use it about as much as standard language” accounted for the following percent of their respective age groups in the 2018 survey; teens at 10.7 percent, 20’s at 13.5 percent, 30’s at 15.5 percent, 40’s at 17.1 percent, 50’s at 18.9 percent, 60’s at 44 percent, and 70’s or older at 59 percent.
As for the necessity of using Shimakutuba, 78.6 percent of respondents said they think it is “very necessary” or “somewhat necessary,” which is a 1.9 percentage point increase from the previous year. Those who answered that they use Shimakutuba in business and in public places accounted for 43.9 percent of respondents.
Although people feel it is necessary to use Shimakutuba, the percentage of those who answered they do not use it in their daily lives has increased.
This poll was first taken in 2013 and this is the fourth such poll. The 2018 survey was conducted between December last year and March this year, with responses numbering 2,552 in total.
The OPG has set a goal for 88 percent of prefectural people to be able to speak Shimakutuba to the extent of greetings by 2022. Kenichi Arakaki, the director-general of the OPG’s Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports, said, “I want to steadily continue activities such as training Shimakutuba instructors.”
(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)
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