Southern Ryukyuan languages
| Southern Ryukyuan | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Sakishima Islands, Okinawa Prefecture |
| Linguistic classification | Japonic
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | ryuk1244 |
The Southern Ryukyuan languages (南琉球語群, Minami Ryūkyū gogun) form one of two branches of the Ryukyuan languages. They are spoken on the Sakishima Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. The three languages are Miyako (on the Miyako Islands) and Yaeyama and Yonaguni (on the Yaeyama Islands). Yaeyama and Yonaguni have been identified as "critically endangered" by UNESCO[1][2] and Miyako as "definitely endangered".[3]
All but one[citation needed] Ryukyuan language has used Chinese and Japanese script for writing. Yonaguni, however, had its own form of writing, the Kaidā glyphs.
Languages
Yaeyama and Yonaguni are closer to each other than they are to Miyako.[4] Yaeyama–Yonaguni is defined by the common development of 'know' as an auxiliary for the potential mood, the semantic extension of 'nephew' as gender-neutral, and forms of the words exhibited by the table below.
| Region of Speech | 'bud' | 'dirt' | 'fresh' | 'happy' | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaeyama–Yonaguni | Ishigaki | báí | ɡábá | píɾáɡíɕáːŋ | sánìɕàːŋ |
| Taketomi | bəi | ɡə̀bə́ | píːɾèsàŋ | sənisəŋ | |
| Hatoma | bàì | ɡàbà | pìɾákèːŋ | sàníjàŋ | |
| Hateruma | bëː | ɡaba | piɾiːsahaŋ | sḁn̥iɕahaŋ | |
| Yonaguni | bai | ɡaba | çiɾaɡjaŋ | ɕànáŋ | |
| Miyako | Ikema | miː | fu̥sɨ | çiɡuɾukai | hu̥kaɾasɨ̥kai |
| Ogami | miː | napa | pukuɾukam | pukaɾaskam | |
| Tarama | fukɨ | naba | piɡuɭɭaɭ | pu̥kaɾaɕaːɭ | |
| Amami | Ōshima | mɘ̆ː | çîɡ.ɾú | sɨdaɕa | ʔuhoɾaɕa |
| Okinawa | Nakijin | mìdùɾí | píŋɡù | ɕìdàːɕêŋ | ɸù̥kùɾáɕèŋ |
References
- ^ "UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger". Unesco.org. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
- ^ "UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger". Unesco.org. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
- ^ "UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger". Unesco.org. Retrieved 2014-10-15.
- ^ Yamada, Masahiro; Pellard, Thomas; Shimoji, Michinori (2015). Heinrich, Patrick; Miyara, Shinsho; Shimaji, Michinori (eds.). Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages: History, Structure, and Use. Handbooks of Japanese Language and Linguistics. Vol. 11. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 18–20. ISBN 978-1-61451-161-8.