View source for Yonaguni language

{{Short description|Southern Ryukyuan language}}
{{mcn|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Yonaguni
| nativename       = {{lang|yoi|与那国物言}} {{lang|yoi|ドゥナンムヌイ}} {{tlit|yoi|Dunan Munui}}
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|yoi|dunaŋmunui|}}
| states           = [[Japan]]
| region           = [[Yonaguni]]
| speakers         = 400
| date             = 2008
| ref              = e25
| familycolor      = Altaic
| fam1             = [[Japonic languages|Japonic]]
| fam2             = [[Ryukyuan languages|Ryukyuan]]
| fam3             = [[Southern Ryukyuan languages|Southern Ryukyuan]]
| fam4             = [[Macro-Yaeyama languages|Macro-Yaeyama]]
| iso3             = yoi
| notice           = IPA
| glotto           = yona1241
| glottorefname    = Yonaguni
| script           = [[Japanese writing system|Japanese]]
| map              = Map-yonaguni.png
| map2             = Lang Status 40-SE.svg
| mapcaption2      = {{center|Yonaguni is classified as Severely Endangered by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]''.}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.wal.unesco.org/countries/japan/languages/yonaguni|title=Yonaguni in Japan {{!}} UNESCO WAL}}</ref>
}}
The '''Yonaguni language''' ({{lang|yoi|与那国物言/ドゥナンムヌイ}} ''Dunan Munui'') is a [[Southern Ryukyuan languages|Southern Ryukyuan language]] spoken by around 400 people on the island of [[Yonaguni]], in the [[Ryukyu Islands]], the westernmost of the chain lying just east of [[Taiwan]].<ref name="KieferBlevins2017">{{cite book
|editor1-last=Kiefer|editor1-first=Ferenc|editor2-last=Blevins|editor2-first=James P.|editor3-last=Bartos|editor3-first=Huba|title=Perspectives on Morphological Organization: Data and Analyses|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IeEqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31
|first1=Thomas |last1=Pellard |first2=Masahiro |last2=Yamada|date=2017
|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-34293-4|chapter=Verb Morphology and Conjugation Classes in Dunan (Yonaguni)}}</ref> It is most closely related to [[Yaeyama language|Yaeyama]]. Due to the Japanese policy on languages, the language is not recognized by the government, which instead calls it the {{nihongo|Yonaguni dialect|与那国方言|Yonaguni hōgen}}. As classified by [[UNESCO]], the Yonaguni language is one of the most endangered languages in all of Japan, after the [[Ainu language]].

==Phonology==
===Vowels===

The table below shows the [[vowel]]s present in the Yonaguni language. Vowels which are only [[Allophone|allophonic]] or marginal appear in parentheses.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|- style="font-size: 90%;"
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! <small>[[Close vowel|Close]]</small>
| {{IPA|{{IPA link|i}}}}
|
| {{IPA|{{IPA link|u}}}}
|-
! <small>[[Near-close vowel|Near-close]]</small>
| {{IPA|({{IPA link|ɪ}})}}
|
| {{IPA|({{IPA link|ʊ}})}}
|-
! <small>[[Close-mid vowel|Close-Mid]]</small>
|
|
| ({{IPA|{{IPA link|o}}}}){{ref label|o|a|}}
|-
! <small>[[Open vowel|Open]]</small>
|
| {{IPA|{{IPA link|a}}}}
| {{IPA|({{IPA link|ɑ}})}}
|}
:{{note|o|a}} {{IPA|[o]}} can also be recognized as an independent phoneme and not just as an allophone of {{IPA|/u/}}. However, its distribution is very limited. Excluding a few interjections, the only morpheme in which it appears is the sentence-final, exclamatory particle ''do''.

===Consonants===

The table below shows the [[consonant]]s present in the Yonaguni language.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Consonants<ref name="Dunan grammar">{{cite book |last1=Heinrich |first1=Patrick |title=Handbook of the Ryukyuan languages: History, structure, and use |last2=Miyara |first2=Shinsho |last3=Shimoji |first3=Michinori |date=2015 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=449–478 |contribution=Dunan grammar (Yonaguni Ryukyuan) |contribution-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924215645id_/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01289268/document |contributor-first1=Masahiro |contributor-last1=Yamada |contributor-first2=Thomas |contributor-last2=Pellard |contributor-first3=Michinori |contributor-last3=Shimoji}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labialization|Labial]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Alveolo-palatal consonant|Alveolo-<br>palatal]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Labialized velar consonant|Labio-<br>velar]]
! [[Glottalic consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[Plosive]]
! {{small|[[Fortis and lenis|lenis]]}}
|
| {{IPA link|t|tʰ}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|k|kʰ}}
|
|
|-
! {{small|[[Fortis and lenis|fortis]]}}
| {{IPA link|p|pˀ}}
| {{IPA link|t|tˀ}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|k|kˀ}}
|
|
|-
! {{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
| {{IPA link|b}}
| {{IPA link|d}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Affricate]]
|
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|ts|tsˀ}} ~ {{IPAblink|tɕ|tɕˀ}}{{efn|name=palatalized|palatalized before {{IPA|/j/}} and {{IPA|/i/}}}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
|[{{IPA link|ɸ}}]{{Efn|name=labialized}}
| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|s}} ~ {{IPAblink|ɕ}}{{efn|name=palatalized}}
|{{IPAblink|ç}}{{Efn|Allophone of /h/ when palatalized before {{IPA|/j/}} and {{IPA|/i/}}|name=palatalized2}}
|
|{{IPAblink|ʍ}}{{efn|Allophone of /h/ when labialized before {{IPA|/w/}} and {{IPA|/u/}}|name=labialized}}
| {{IPA link|h}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Tap and flap consonants|Flap]]
|
| {{IPA link|ɾ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant]]
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|j}}
|
|{{IPA link|w}}
|
|}
{{notelist}}

Plosive and affricate phonemes have three-way contrast. Hirayama et al. (1967) describe the contrast as voiceless non-laryngealized, voiceless [[laryngealized]], and [[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]].<ref name="Takara">{{cite book |last=Takara |first=Nobutaka |date=2012 |title=The Tonology of Itoman Okinawan: A Phonological Analysis of the Nominal Tone System |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1012374540|id={{ProQuest|1012374540}} }}</ref> Yamada et al. (2015) describe the contrast as [[Fortis and lenis|fortis]] (unaspirated and [[Tenseness|tense]]), lenis ([[Aspirated consonant|weakly aspirated]] and [[Tenseness|lax]]), and voiced. The lenis/fortis distinction neutralized in word-medial positions, both becoming phonetically fortis.<ref name="Dunan grammar"/>

In positions other than prevocalic, all nasals are phonetically [[Homorganic consonant|homorganic]] with a following consonant (e.g. ng {{IPA|[ŋɡ]}}, nd {{IPA|[nd]}}, nb {{IPA|[mb]}}). Nasals are velar ({{IPA|[ŋ]}}) in final position.<ref name="Dunan grammar"/>

===Phonological cognates===

As a Southern Ryukyuan language, Yonaguni, similar to [[Miyakoan language|Miyakoan]] and [[Yaeyama language|Yaeyama]],  has {{IPA|/b/}} in place with [[Standard Japanese]] {{IPA|/w/}}, such as Yonaguni {{IPA|/bata/}} ('stomach, belly'), cognate with Japanese {{IPA|/wata/}} ('guts, bowels').  Yonaguni also has {{IPA|/d/}} where Japanese and other Ryukyuan languages have {{IPA|/j/}} (orthographically ''y''). Thus, for example, Yonaguni {{IPA|/dama/}} ('mountain') is cognate with Japanese and Yaeyama {{IPA|/jama/}} ('id.'). Yonaguni {{IPA|/d/}} is probably a recent development from an earlier {{IPA|*/j/}}, however, judging from the fact that even the {{IPA|*/j/}} in loanwords of [[Chinese language|Sinitic]] origin is pronounced {{IPA|/d/}} by speakers of the Yonaguni language, such as ''dasai'' 'vegetables' from Middle Chinese {{IPA|*jia-tsʰʌi}} ({{linktext|lang=zh|野菜}}). An entry in the late-15th-century Korean annals ''Seongjong Taewang Sillok'' records the local name of the island of Yonaguni in [[Idu script]] as 閏伊是麼, which has the Middle Korean reading ''zjuni sima'', with ''sima'' glossed in the text as the Japonic word for 'island'. That is direct evidence of an intermediate stage of the fortition {{IPA|*j}}- > {{IPA|*z}}- > {{IPA|d}}-, leading to the modern name {{IPA|/dunaŋ/}} 'Yonaguni'.<ref name="Vovin2010">{{cite book
|title=Korea-Japonica: A Re-Evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=um8O1bp-86EC&pg=PA40
|first1=Alexander |last1=Vovin |date=2010
|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-3278-0|chapter=Yonaguni initial ''d-'' as an innovation}}</ref>

The Yonaguni language exhibits intervocalic voicing of [[plosive]]s, as do many Japonic languages. It also exhibits the tendency for {{IPA|/ɡ/}}, especially when intervocalic, to be pronounced as a velar nasal {{IPA|/ŋ/}}, as in Standard Japanese.

===Syllable structure===

Below is the syllable template for Dunan:

:(C (G) ) V<sub>1</sub> (V<sub>2</sub>) (N)

* C = consonant
* G = glide {{IPA|[w]}} or {{IPA|[j]}}
* V = vowel
* N = [[Japanese phonology#Moraic nasal|moraic nasal]]

The [[Syllable#Onset|onset]] allows for a single consonant with the occasional presence of a glide. The [[Syllable#Nucleus|nucleus]] can contain up to two vowels. The only allowable [[Syllable#Coda|coda]] is a moraic nasal.

==Writing system==
{{main|Kaidā logogram}}
{{Urs|date=June 2024}}
Yonaguni was once written with a unique writing system called [[Kaidā logogram]]s. However, after conquest by the [[Ryukyu Kingdom]] and later annexation by the [[Empire of Japan]], the logograms were replaced by Japanese kana and Kanji.<ref>{{cite book |last={{lang|ja|池間苗}} |author-link= |date=2003 |title={{lang|ja|与那国語辞典}} |url= |location= |publisher={{lang|ja|与那国町(沖縄県)}} |page=376 |oclc=1433104148}}</ref>{{fv|date=December 2024|reason=The page specified in the source does not have information about the Kaida glyphs.}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Yonaguni Orthography (Ikema 2003)
|-
! !! /a/ || /i/ || /u/ || /e/ || /o/ ||/ja/ || /ju/ 
|-
! /Ø/
| ア <br> /a/ <br> [a] || イ <br> /i/ <br> [i] || ウ <br> /u/ <br> [u] || エ <br> /e/ <br> [e] || オ <br> /o/ <br> [o] || ヤ <br> /ya/ <br> [ja] || ユ <br> /yu/ <br> [ju]
|-
! /k/
| カ <br> /ka/ <br> [ka] || キ <br> /ki/ <br> [ki] || ク <br> /ku/ <br> [ku] || ケ <br> /ke/ <br> [ke] || コ <br> /ko/ <br> [ko] || キャ <br> /kya/ <br> [kja] || キュ <br> /kyu/ <br> [kju] 
|-
! /k'/
| か <br> /k'a/ <br> [kˀa] || き <br> /k'i/ <br> [kˀi] || く <br> /k'u/ <br> [kˀu] || け <br> /k'e/ <br> [kˀe] || こ  <br> /k'o/ <br> [kˀo] || ||
|-
! /g/
| ガ <br> /ga/ <br> [ga] || ギ <br> /gi/ <br> [gi] || グ <br> /gu/ <br> [gu] || ゲ <br> /ge/ <br> [ge] || ゴ <br> /go/ <br> [go] || ギャ <br> /gya/ <br> [gja] || ギュ <br> /gyu/ <br> [gju] 
|-
! /ŋ/
| カ゚ <br> /ŋa/ <br> [ŋa] || キ゚ <br> /ŋi/ <br> [ŋi] || ク゚ <br> /ŋu/ <br> [ŋu] || ケ゚ <br> /ŋe/ <br> [ŋe] || コ゚  <br> /ŋo/ <br> [ŋo] || || 
|-
! /s/
| サ <br> /sa/ <br> [sa] || シ <br> /ɕi/ <br> [ɕi] || ス <br> /su/ <br> [su] || セ <br> /se/ <br> [se] || ソ <br> /so/ <br> [so] || シャ <br> /ɕa/ <br> [ɕa] || シュ <br> /ɕu/ <br> [ɕu] 
|-
! /t/
| タ <br> /ta/ <br> [ta] || ティ <br> /ti/ <br> [ti] || トゥ <br> /tu/ <br> [tu] || テ <br> /te/ <br> [te] || ト <br> /to/ <br> [to] || ||
|-
! /t'/
| た <br> /t'a/ <br> [tˀa] || てぃ <br> /t'i/ <br> [tˀi] || とぅ <br> /t'u/ <br> [tˀu] || て <br> /t'e/ <br> [tˀe] || と <br> /t'o/ <br> [tˀo] || || 
|-
! /d/
| ダ <br> /da/ <br> [da] || ディ <br> /di/ <br> [di] || ドゥ <br> /du/ <br> [du] || デ <br> /de/ <br> [de] || ド <br> /do/ <br> [do] || || 
|-
! /ts'/
| ツャ <br> /ts'a/ <br> [tsˀa] || チ <br> /tɕ'i/ <br> [tɕˀi] || ツ <br> /ts'u/ <br> [tsˀu] || || || ||
|-
! /n/
| ナ <br> /na/ <br> [na] || ニ <br> /ni/ <br> [ni] || ヌ <br> /nu/ <br> [nu] || ネ <br> /ne/ <br> [ne] || ノ <br> /no/ <br> [no] || || 
|-
! /h/
| ハ <br> /ha/ <br> [ha] || ヒ <br> /hi/ <br> [çi] || フ <br> /hu/ <br> [hu] || ヘ <br> /he/ <br> [he] || ホ <br> /ho/ <br> [ho] || ヒャ <br> /ça/ <br> [hja] || ヒュ <br> /çu/ <br> [hju] 
|-
! /p/
| パ <br> /pa/ <br> [pa] || ピ <br> /pi/ <br> [pi] || プ <br> /pu/ <br> [pu] || ペ <br> /pe/ <br> [pe] || ポ <br> /po/ <br> [po] || ピャ <br> /pya/ <br> [pja] || ピュ <br> /pyu/ <br> [pju]
|-
! /b/
| バ <br> /ba/ <br> [ba] || ビ <br> /bi/ <br> [bi] || ブ <br> /bu/ <br> [bu] || ベ <br> /be/ <br> [be] || ボ <br> /bo/ <br> [bo] || ビャ <br> /bya/ <br> [bja]|| ビュ <br> /byu/ <br> [bju] 
|-
! /m/
| マ <br> /ma/ <br> [ma] || ミ <br> /mi/ <br> [mi] || ム <br> /mu/ <br> [mu] || メ <br> /me/ <br> [me] || モ <br> /mo/ <br> [mo] || || 
|-
! /w/
| ワ <br> /wa/ <br> [wa] || || || || || ||
|-
! /r/
| ラ <br> /ra/ <br> [ɾa] || リ <br> /ri/ <br> [ɾi] || ル <br> /ru/ <br> [ɾu] || レ <br> /re/ <br> [ɾe] || ロ <br> /ro/ <br> [ɾo] || || 
|-
! 
| ン <br> /N/* <br> [n, m, ŋ] || ー <br> /ː/ <br> [ː] || ッ (final) <br> /ʔ/ <br> [ʔ] ||colspan="4" | ッ <br> /Q/ <br> [k, g, s, ts, t, d, h, b, p] 
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> /m/ before labial consonants and /ŋ/ before velar consonants. Example ディンブンキルン [dimbuŋkirun] "to have a goal for".

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{lang|ja|高橋俊三}}. "{{lang|ja|与那国方言}}." {{lang|ja|言語学大辞典セレクション：日本列島の言語}}. {{lang|ja|三省堂}}, 1997. Print. {{in lang|ja}} ({{ISBN|978-4385152073}})
*{{lang|ja|高橋俊三}}. "{{lang|ja|沖縄県八重山郡与那国町の方言の生活語彙}}." {{lang|ja|方言研究叢書}}. 4 (1975): Print. {{in lang|ja}}
*{{lang|ja|平山輝男}}, {{lang|ja|中本正智}}. {{lang|ja|琉球与那国方言の研究}}. {{lang|ja|東京}}: {{lang|ja|東京堂}}, 1964. Print. {{in lang|ja}}
*{{lang|ja|高橋俊三}}. "{{lang|ja|琉球・与那国方言の語彙}}". {{lang|ja|東京}}: {{lang|ja|法政大学沖縄文化硏究所}}, 1987. Print. {{in lang|ja}}
*{{lang|ja|西岡敏}}. "{{lang|ja|与那国方言の動詞継続相のアクセント対立}}". {{lang|ja|地域研究シリーズ}} 35, 95-105, 2008. {{in lang|ja}}
*{{lang|ja|加治工真市}}, {{lang|ja|仲原穣}}. "{{lang|ja|与那国方言について}}({{lang|ja|与那国島の伝統文化調査研究報告書}},{{lang|ja|加治工真市教授退官記念}})". {{lang|ja|沖縄芸術の科学}} : {{lang|ja|沖縄県立芸術大学附属研究所紀要}} 16, 17-74, 2004 {{in lang|ja}}
*{{lang|ja|与那国方言辞典編集委員会}}. どぅなんむぬい辞典第二版. 与那国町: 与那国著教育委員会. 2021. Print. (in Japanese)

==External links==
* [[voy:Yonaguni phrasebook|Yonaguni phrasebook]] on [[voy:Main Page|Wikivoyage]]
{{Incubator|yoi}}{{Japonic languages}}
{{Japanese language |collapsed}}
{{Languages of Japan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yonaguni Language}}
[[Category:Ryukyuan languages]]
[[Category:Endangered languages of Asia]]