noun
Proto-Japonic; Proto-Japanese-Ryukyuan
Technical term in historical linguistics referring to the reconstructed common ancestor of Japanese and the Ryukyuan languages.
日琉祖語の研究は、日本語と琉球諸語の系統関係を明らかにする。
Research on Proto-Japonic clarifies the genetic relationship between Japanese and the Ryukyuan languages.
Compound of 日 (にち, 'Japan'), 琉 (りゅう, 'Ryukyu'), and 祖語 (そご, 'proto-language'). The term was coined in modern Japanese linguistics.