Ainu Languages: Correct, Good, and Less So

Abstract

Language preservation aspires to conserve knowledge of a language by recording and documenting, while language revitalization aims to promote use of a language in present-day society. Ainu language preservation and revitalization would thus seem fully compatible with each other in that both strive to maintain the language. However, they are liable to come into conflict for two chief reasons. First, they are likely to be based on diverse conceptions of what “endangered language” means and to shape competing ideologies. Second, they often differ in their notions of correct and/or good Ainu language. In order to maintain Ainu as a “living language,” it is necessary to reconcile language preservation and revitalization. The present study explores the concepts of correct and good Ainu language that are compatible with both language preservation and revitalization. It finally emphasizes that linguists and grammarians have a responsibility to provide guidelines for correct and good Ainu by publishing dictionaries and reference grammars with sufficient dialectal and stylistic instructions.