Okinawan Language and NHK
So, since last April, there is no Okinawan presenter on the evening news programme of the #NHK #Okinawa, Okinawa Hot Eye. The programme works with two main presenters that change every day + one meteorologist + reporters. All the main presenters (and the meteorologist) are mainland Japanese. I already thought it was quite a problem in April, but now that autumn has come, there are news about traditional festivals almost every day and *they cannot pronounce the names*. Only one of the presenter, Motoki Tsuchihashi, is able to speak correctly Okinawan, and every single day, the festival names, god names and place names are completely butchered by all the others.
I think this is a real shame for the NHK. I mean, they're famous for training their announcers very strictly about Japanese pronunciation, it shows a complete lack of respect for the Okinawan language and the Okinawan culture that they do not train them to pronounce correctly Okinawan names.
I yell at my telly almost every evening : I'm French and I can pronounce those words, what about making a little bit of an effort ?
I think this is a real shame for the NHK. I mean, they're famous for training their announcers very strictly about Japanese pronunciation, it shows a complete lack of respect for the Okinawan language and the Okinawan culture that they do not train them to pronounce correctly Okinawan names.
I yell at my telly almost every evening : I'm French and I can pronounce those words, what about making a little bit of an effort ?
reshared this
That’s a moray
in reply to Alexandra • • •Alexandra
in reply to That’s a moray • •Peter Ludemann
in reply to Alexandra • • •I've seen NHK dramas that do Kansai-ben so badly that even I can tell it's bad (similar to American actors trying to do British accents ...). At least BBC now allows its presenters to have regional accents (although not regional dialects).
Not that this excuses NHK in Okinawa/Ryukyu.
ポット🫖
in reply to Alexandra • • •They do have standards that local news broadcasters are allowed, not required, to use (地元放送局アクセント), separately from their signature Tokyo accent. nhk.or.jp/bunken/research/koto…
I wonder if the choice is left to individual broadcasters, with no organizational policy.
Alexandra
in reply to ポット🫖 • •Until last April Anli Miyagi was also trying her best even though not as proactively as Masato, but now, all the presenters are Japanese. Only some of the reporters, who are given short live corners or recorded news reports, are Okinawans.
However, one of the Japanese presenter does pronounce the words correctly, showing that if the others took the pain to train, they would manage as well.
I wonder how it is in Hokkaido when there are news about Ainu festivals or culture...
ポット🫖
in reply to Alexandra • • •As you say, it doesn't help that they get reassigned to different areas of Japan constantly during their tenures at NHK.
"Fukui" has distinctly different pronunciations (high-low-low - Tokyo, LHL - local), and I recall that most reporters use the local one in local programs. But that's just one word, so they have it easy.