%0 Journal Article %A Fujinaga, Kiyono %T On the diminutive morpheme -gama in Ikema, a Ryukyuan language %D 2018 %J Studies in Language. International Journal sponsored by the Foundation “Foundations of Language” %V 42 %N 3 %P 734-753 %@ 0378-4177 %R https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.18022.fuj %K gendered language %K radical category %K diminutive %K Ikema %I John Benjamins %X Abstract Ikema is defined as ‘definitely endangered’ by UNESCO (2009). The study examines an evaluative morpheme -gama used by old Ikema speakers aged 64 to 86 when speaking between Ikema speakers and when speaking Standard Japanese with outsiders. Descriptive grammar of Ikema (Hayashi 2010; Hayashi 2013 inter alia) has treated -gama as diminutive morpheme, representing smallness such as tui-gama ‘small bird’ or showing the affections to the base noun. The observations on naturally occurring data, however, revealed that the Ikema speakers barely used -gama by means of describing smallness: the most frequent use of -gama was found to be non-supplementary (Shetter 1959) and carries various socio-pragmatic functions. The related meanings/functions of -gama are presented in radial category (Lakoff 1987). %U https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/sl.18022.fuj