noun
Hachijō dialects; Hachijō language
Refers to the Japanese varieties spoken on the Izu Islands, particularly Hachijō-jima, often considered a distinct language or dialect group.
八丈方言は本土の日本語と大きく異なる特徴を持っている。
The Hachijō dialects have features that differ greatly from mainland Japanese.
言語学者の間では、八丈方言を独立した言語と見なす意見もある。
Some linguists consider the Hachijō language to be an independent language.
Compound of 八丈 (Hachijō, the island name) and 方言 (dialect). The exact historical derivation of the Hachijō varieties is uncertain, but they preserve archaic features of Eastern Old Japanese.