What Makes Japanese a Fascinating Language

by Tyler P. A Passionate Blogger - Entertainment

Japanese is part of the Japonic language family and is currently spoken both as a first language and a second language in Japan. In addition to the land of the Rising Sun, it is also spoken across Argentina, Australia, American Samoa, Brazil, Belize, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guam, Germany, Mexico, Mongolia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, as well as the USA. The world comprises of a total of 123 million Japanese speakers at present.

The official language of Japan

Japanese is recognized as the official language of Japan. You will find all businesses, government affairs, educational matters, and media activities being conducted in Japanese. If you wish to establish your career in any of the above fields within Japan, you will have to first enrol with a Japanese language school in Bangalore.

The Japanese language derives significant influences from the Chinese language as many of the Chinese characters known as ‘kanji’ are used in it. Along with the use of traditional Chinese numerals, Arabic numerals are also being used in the language in today’s times.

Ryukyuan is the name of a language which is the second most widely used language after Japanese. It is also a member of the Japonic family. The language is described as on the verge of extinction as it is hardly being used in the country today.

Forms of the Japanese language

There are two forms of the Japanese language:

1) Hyojungo- This is the standard form of Japanese which is taught across schools and is also used to converse on local television shows, as well as in official literature. Standard Japanese can be further categorized into bungo (the literary language) and kogo (the oral language). There are differences between the two in terms of grammar and vocabulary.

Bungo was recognized as the main type of written Japanese until the late 1940s. It is still considered very important for literary scholars, lawyers, and historians. Kogo is more commonly in use today.

2) Kyotsugo- This is the name for the common language

Standard Japanese is similar but not identical to the Tokyo dialect. There are a number of versions of standard Japanese influenced by local dialects.

Japanese dialects

Although Japan is not a very big country, it has a surprisingly vast number of dialects, each of which differs from the other in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. You will find many of the dialects to be mutually unintelligible. They are commonly put into two main groups- Western Japanese and Eastern Japanese. Know more about it when you attend Japanese classes in Bangalore.

You may find Japanese to be tough in the initial days if you are coming from an English speaking nation since both the script and the spoken language are completely new. However, once you master this, it will help you gain new insights about the fascinating Japanese culture.