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The JapaneseLanguage is the JapaneseProperLanguage (JapaneseGroupLanguage) of Japan. SIL code: JPN. ISO 639-1: ja. ISO 639-2: jpn. Population: 121,050,000 in Japan (1985). Population total all countries: 125,000,000 first language speakers (1999 WA), 126,000,000 including second language speakers (1999 WA). Region: Throughout the country. Also spoken in 26 other countries including American Samoa, Argentina, Australia, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Germany, Guam, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines. Dialects: WESTERN JAPANESE, EASTERN JAPANESE. Comments: Possibly related to Korean. The Kagoshima dialect is 84% cognate with Tokyo dialect. National language. Grammar. SOV, postpositions, demonstrative, numeral, adjective, possessive, relative clause, proper noun precede noun head, adverb precedes verb, sentence final question particle, CV. Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji (Chinese character) writing systems. Buddhist, Shintoist. Bible 1883-1987. Also spoken in: Taiwan. (Language name: JAPANESE.) Population: 10,000 in Taiwan (1993). Comments: Used among a few elderly aboriginal speakers and some Chinese as second language. Trade language. Bible 1883-1987.(extract from http://www.ethnologue.com/)
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