What is Ryuchuuguchi?
Ryuchuuguchi is a group of languages spoken in the Ryukyu Island chain, north of Taiwan and South of Japan. These languages are known to linguists as the "Ryukyuan Languages." In Uchinaaguchi, the language of Uchinaa (Okinawa), "Ryuchuu" is Chinese "Liu2qiu2" referring to the island chain that runs from Amami Oshima in the north to Yonaguni in the south also known by Japanese "Ryukyu", and "guchi" means "language." Thus "Ryuchuuguchi" is a term referring to all the languages and dialects spoken in the Ryuchuu islands
Is Ryuchuuguchi a dialect of Japanese?
Relation to Japanese
Ryuchuuguchi belong in the same languistical family as Japanese, the Japonic Family. They split off from Japanese during the Nara Period. They the only other languages besides Japanese in the Japonic group. Ryuchuuguchi are related in many ways to ancient Japanese language since
Relation to Chinese
Ryuchuuguchi is not related to the Sino-tibetan languages. While Chinese-pronounciation based words make up approximately 50% of Korean and Japanese vocabulary, the amount of such Chinese-based words are much less in Ryuchuuguchi.
Examples:
Kuanfaa- Chinese language
The Different languages
Uchinaaguchi
The language of Okinawa, the Shuri dialect was the official language of the Shuri court.
Yeemaguchi
the language of the Yaeyama islands
Ushimanguchi
