Okinawan language
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| Okinawan (沖縄口 [Ucinaaguci]) | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Japan |
| Region: | Okinawa prefecture |
| Total speakers: | < 2 million |
| Ranking: | not in top 100 |
| Genetic classification: | Unclassified Japonic |
| Official status | |
| Official language of: | - |
| Regulated by: | - |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | - |
| ISO 639-2 | - |
| SIL | XUG - Kunigami RYU - Central Okinawan |
| See also: Language – List of languages | |
Okinawan (Okinawan: Ucinaaguci) is a Ryukyuan language spoken in Japan on the southern island of Okinawa, as well as the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kume-jima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller islands located to the east of the main island of Okinawa.
It is divided into three main groups: Northern (Kunigami dialect of Kunigami), Central (Standard, Shuri-Naha), and Southern. The Shuri dialect was standardized during the era of the Ryukyuan Kingdom, during the reign of King Sho Shin (1477-1526). It was the official language used by royalty and aristocracy. All of the songs and poems in the language from that era are written in the Shuri dialect.
| Contents |
Phonology
- This section describes the Nakijin dialect, which differs from the Shuri dialect somewhat.
Vowels
Okinawan has three short vowels, [a i u], and five long vowels, [a: e: i: o: u:]. Note that [u] is rounded, unlike in Japanese.
Consonants
This is a comprehensive listing of consonants, and lists allophonic sets such as [h ç ɸ] separately. For a list of phonemic consonants, consult the syllabary.
| Blab. | Alv. | Palv. | Pal. | Velar | Uvular | Glot. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g | ʔ | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ɴ | ||
| Laryngeal nasal | ʔm | ʔn | |||||
| Tap or flap | ɾ | ||||||
| Affricate | tʃ dʒ | ||||||
| Fricative | ɸ | s | ʃ | ç | h | ||
| Approximant | j | ɰ | |||||
| Laryngeal approximant | ʔj | ʔɰ |
Syllabary
(Technically, these are morae, not syllables.)
| ʔi | ʔe | ʔa | ʔo | ʔu | ʔja | ʔjo | ʔju | ʔwa | ʔɴ | |
| [ʔi] | [ʔe] | [ʔa] | [ʔo] | [ʔu] | [ʔja] | [ʔjo] | [ʔju] | [ʔɰa] | [ʔn] [ʔm] | |
| i | e | a | o | u | ja | jo | ju | we | wa | ɴ |
| [i] [ji] | [e] [je] | [a] | [o] [wo] | [u] [wu] | [ja] | [jo] | [ju] | [ɰe] | [ɰa] | [n] [m] [ŋ] [ɴ] |
| hi | he | ha | ho | hu | hja | hjo | hju | ― | hwa | |
| [çi] | [çe] | [ha] | [ho] | [ɸu] | [ça] | [ço] | [çu] | ― | [ɸa] | |
| gi | ge | ga | go | gu | gja | ― | ― | gwe | gwa | |
| [gi] | [ge] | [ga] | [go] | [gu] | [gja] | ― | ― | [gʷe] | [gʷa] | |
| ki | ke | ka | ko | ku | kja | ― | ― | kwe | kwa | |
| [ki] | [ke] | [ka] | [ko] | [ku] | [kja] | ― | ― | [kʷe] | [kʷa] | |
| ci | ce | ca | co | cu | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| [tʃi] | [tʃe] | [tʃa] | [tʃo] | [tʃu] | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| zi | ze | za | zo | zu | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| [dʒi] | [dʒe] | [dʒa] | [dʒo] | [dʒu] | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| si | se | sa | so | su | sja | ― | sju | ― | ― | |
| [ʃi] | [ʃe] | [sa] | [so] | [su] | [ʃa] | ― | [ʃu] | ― | ― | |
| di | de | da | do | du | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| ri | re | ra | ro | ru | ||||||
| [di] | [de] | [da] | [do] | [du] | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| [ɾi] | [ɾe] | [ɾa] | [ɾo] | [ɾu] | ||||||
| ti | te | ta | to | tu | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| [ti] | [te] | [ta] | [to] | [tu] | ― | ― | ― | ― | ― | |
| mi | me | ma | mo | mu | mja | mjo | ― | ― | ― | |
| [mi] | [me] | [ma] | [mo] | [mu] | [mja] | [mjo] | ― | ― | ― | |
| bi | be | ba | bo | bu | bja | bjo | bju | ― | ― | |
| [bi] | [be] | [ba] | [bo] | [bu] | [bja] | [bjo] | [bju] | ― | ― | |
| pi | pe | pa | po | pu | pja | ― | pju | ― | ― | |
| [pi] | [pe] | [pa] | [po] | [pu] | [pja] | ― | [pju] | ― | ― | |
| q | ||||||||||
| [h] [j] [s] [t] [p] | ||||||||||
| e | ||||||||||
| [:] |
Correspondences with Japanese
| Japanese | Okinawan | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| /e/ | /i/ | [ti] not [tʃi] |
| /o/ | /u/ | [tu] not [tsu], [du] not [dzu] |
| /ai/ | /e:/ | |
| /ae/ | ||
| /au/ | /o:/ | |
| /ao/ | ||
| /aja/ | ||
| /k/ | /k/ | /g/ also occurs |
| /ka/ | /ka/ | /ha/ also occurs |
| /ki/ | /ci/ | [tʃi] |
| /ku/ | /ku/ | /hu/ [ɸu] also occurs |
| /si/ | /si/ | /hi/ [çi] also occurs |
| /su/ | /si/ | [ʃi]; formerly distinguished as [si] /hi/ [çi] also occurs |
| /tu/ | /ci/ | [tʃi]; formerly distinguished as [tsi] |
| /da/ | /ra/ | [d] and [ɾ] have merged |
| /de/ | /ri/ | |
| /do/ | /ru/ | |
| /ni/ | /ni/ | Moraic /ɴ/ also occurs |
| /nu/ | /nu/ | |
| /ha/ | /hwa/ | /pa/ also occurs, but rarely |
| /hi/ | /pi/ ~ /hi/ | |
| /he/ | ||
| /mi/ | /mi/ | Moraic /ɴ/ also occurs |
| /mu/ | /mu/ | |
| /ri/ | /i/ | /iri/ and /uri/ unaffected |
| /wa/ | /wa/ | Tends to become /a/ medially |
Grammar
Okinawan dialects retain a number of old grammatical features, such as a distinction between the terminal form (終止形) and the attributive form (連体形), the genitive function of が ga (lost in the Shuri dialect), the nominative function of ぬ nu (Japanese: の no), as well as honorific/plain distribution of ga and nu in nominative use.
| 書く kaku to write | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | Shuri | |||
| Irrealis | 未然形 | 書か | kaka- | kaka- |
| Continuative | 連用形 | 書き | kaki- | kaci- |
| Terminal | 終止形 | 書く | kaku | kacun |
| Attributive | 連体形 | 書く | kaku | kacuru |
| Realis | 已然形 | 書け | kake- | kaki- |
| Imperative | 命令形 | 書け | kake | kaki |
One etymology given for the -un and -uru endings is the continuative form suffixed with uri (Classical Japanese: 居り wori, to be; to exist): -un developed from the terminal form uri; -uru developed from the attributive form uru, i.e:
- kacuru derives from kaci-uru;
- kacun derives from kaci-uri; and
- yumun (Japanese: 読む yomu, to read) derives from yumi + uri.
A similar etymology is given for the terminal -san and attributive -saru endings for adjectives: the stem suffixed with さ sa (nominalises adjectives, i.e. high → height, hot → heat), suffixed with ari (Classical Japanese: 有り ari, to exist; to have), i.e:
- takasan (Japanese: 高い takai, high; tall) derives from taka-sa-ari;
- atsusan (Japanese: 暑い atsui, hot; warm) derives from atsu-sa-ari; and
- yutasaru (good; pleasant) derives from yuta-sa-aru.
Bibliography
Japanese
- 平山輝男編著 『全国方言辞典〔１〕: 県別方言の特色』 角川書店、1983年 (昭和58年)
External links
English
- Ethnologue report on Kunigami (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ryu)
- Ethnologue report on Central Okinawan (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ryu)
- Arakaki, Tomoko: Aspect and Modality in Luchuan (http://www.ling.ed.ac.uk/~pgc/archive/2000/subs/tomoko.ps) (PostScript file)
Japanese
- Basic Ryukyuan language (http://www.pref.okinawa.jp/kodomo/kurasi/b2_01.html)
- Ryukyuan dictionary (http://ryukyu-lang.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/), with spoken examples.
- Nakasone Seizen manuscripts (http://manwe.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/seizen/) (mostly on the Nakijin dialect)
- A Shuri-Naha orthography and phonology (http://ryukyu-lang.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/srnh/sign.html)de:Ryūkyūanische Sprache