Japanese+(Colton)

__**Roots:**__
Three theories behind the origins of the Japanese language: 1. Japanese is an **Altaic** language related to Korean, Mongolian, and Turkish. 2. Japanese is an **Austronesian** language related to Papuan, Malayan and other Pacific languages. 3. Japanese is a Southeast Asian language related to Vietnamese, Tibetan, Burmese or, in one school of thought, the Tamil languages of southern India and Ceylon. Other areas that have influenced the language has been influenced by the Portuguese.

__History:__
Most linguists believe that Japaneses is a type of Altaic language. Over 26 million people in Japan speak this language.