AINU LANGUAGE AND CULTURE MOD.2

The course falls among the core courses for the China/Japan/Korea curricula of the Bachelor’s Degree program “Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa”.
The course aims to provide students with a basic knowledge of Classical Ainu (i.e., the language used by native L1 speakers up until the 1980s), focusing on its Southern Hokkaido and Sakhalin varieties. The introduction to the fundamentals of Ainu grammar is carried out through the critical analysis of short sentences, with reference to the most recent linguistic studies on the topics addressed. This approach is intended to equip students with the analytical tools necessary to independently and critically engage with original audio and written sources, including extended texts. At the same time, the course includes cultural insights essential for contextualizing the language in practice, an overview of the documentation of the language over the centuries, and an introduction to the main topics in historical linguistics and sociolinguistics. These topics concern both Classical Ainu and Contemporary Ainu (spoken today by L2 communities and new speakers in Japan) and are the focus of current Ainu studies.
Module 2 will cover the main theoretical aspects of Ainu oral literature and elements of philology. Students will apply the knowledge acquired in Module 1 to the analysis and translation of traditional Ainu folklore texts. The module will also explore a number of aspects of Ainu social organization, traditional activities and beliefs, which are essential for a proper understanding of the texts’ content.

Students will acquire a basic understanding of Ainu oral literature (including its division into genres and sub-genres, main themes, narrative structure and key stylistic features) and will develop a philologically appropriate approach to identifying and utilizing sources on the Ainu language from the 18th-20th centuries. Using the linguistic knowledge acquired in Module 1, students will be able to analyze and translate folklore texts, both with and without guidance, and identify their regional variety.

Good knowledge of the English language and perfect knowledge of the grammar of the student's native language.
It is warmly suggested to whomever enrolled before the academic year 25/26 to attend the course "General Linguistics (Japan and Korea)".

Study and analysis of 18th–20th-century sources written in Russian, Japanese, and other European languages on the Ainu language.
Ainu literature (Ainu “poetry” and “prose,” literary sub-genres, differences in the structure and language of poetic and prose genres).
Listening, reading, and translating of Ainu folklore texts with the aid of dictionaries and materials provided by the teacher.

Mandatory readings:
1) Selected chapters from Dal Corso, Elia. 2021. “The language and folklore of West Sakhalin Ainu – A re-edition of Murasaki Kyōko’s ‘Karafuto ainugo’ with translation and grammatical notes” (provided by the teacher).
2) Selected chapters from Tamura Suzuko. 2000. “The Ainu language” (provided by the teacher).
3) Slides on moodle platform.

Optional readings:
1) Satō Tomomi & Anna Bugaeva. 2019. "The study of old documents of Hokkaido and Kuril Ainu: promise and challenges" in "Hoppō gengo kenkyū 9", Sapporo: HUSCAP, pp. 67-93.
2) Anna Bugaeva (ed.) "Handbook of the Ainu language", Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.

Both modules for the Ainu Language course will be held in the first semester with two lessons per week. The contents of module 1, which are required for module 2, will be taught first during the lessons in the first period (September-November). The contents of module 2 will be taught in the second period (November-January).

Assessment of the skills acquired in module 1 will happen with a written and oral exam.
During the first period, the teacher will assign, as homework, a number of short reports (200-400 words) on the Ainu grammar topics discussed during the lesson, after these topics have been properly explained in class. Writing these reports is mandatory and it will constitute the written part of the final exam of the first module.
This written test will be followed by an oral interview (around 20 minutes) on the day of the exam.

Only students who successfully pass the exam for module 1 will be able to take the exam for the second module. At the end of the exam for the first module, the teacher will communicate a grade that will not be recorded. Rather, this grade will give a total average grade together with the grade obtained after passing the module 2 exam.
The eligibility obtained when passing the exam of module 1 will be valid until the fall exam session (August-September) of the academic year in which the module 1 exam was taken.

written and oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

Range 18-22: sufficient knowledge and comprehension with regard to the course program
Range 23-26: good knowledge and comprehension with regard to the course program
Range 27-30: very good or excellent knowledge and comprehension with regard to the course program
Honors will be assigned in case of very good or excellent knowledge and comprehension with regard to the course program, and excellent communication skills.

Taught class. Students' active participation is expected.