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Nisu language

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Nisu
Southern Yi
Native toChina
EthnicityYi
Native speakers
300,000 apart from Northern (2004–2007)[2]
160,000 Northern (no date)[3]
Yi logograms
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
nsd – Southern
yiv – Northern
nos – Eastern
nsv – Southwestern (duplicate or spurious code)[1]
nsf – Northwestern
Glottolognisu1237  Nisu–Nyisu

Nisu (Southern Yi) is a language cluster spoken by half a million Yi people of China. It is one of six Yi languages recognized by the government of China. The Yi script was traditionally used, though few can still read it.[2] According to Lama (2012),[4] Nisu (Nishu) autonyms include ne̠33 su55, ne̠33 su55 pʰo21, and ɲe̠33 ʂu55.

The position of Nisu within Nisoish is debated. Nisu is classified as Southeastern Loloish by Pelkey (2011),[5] but is traditionally classified as a Northern Loloish language, including by Lama (2012).[4]

Internal classification

Chen et al. (1985)

Chen et al. (1985:114)[6] recognizes three major varieties of Southern Yi (i.e., Nisu) spoken in Yunnan province: Shijian (石建; Shiping-Jianshui), Yuanjin (元金; Yuanjiang-Jinping), and Exin (峨新; Eshan-Xinping). Autonyms include na̠33 su55 and na̠33 su55 pho21 (alternatively ne̠33 su55 pho21). Chen (1985) reported a speaker population of nearly 1.6 million.

  • Shijian 石建土语: spoken in Shiping, Jianshui, Tonghai, Gejiu, Kaiyuan, Mengzi, and Hekou counties
  • Yuanjin 元金土语: spoken in Yuanyang, Jinping, Mojiang, Yuanjiang, Pu'er, Jiangcheng, and Honghe counties
  • Exin 峨新土语: spoken in Eshan, Xinping, Jiangchuan, Yuxi, Yimen, and Kunming counties

Yang (2009)

Yang (2009)[7] classifies the Nisu dialects as follows.

  • Northern Nisu
    • North-central (Shijian 石建): spoken in Shiping, Xinping, Jiangcheng, Mojiang, and Lüchun counties
    • Northwestern (Exin 峨新): spoken in Eshan and Jinning counties
  • Southern Nisu (Yuanjin 元金): spoken in Honghe, Yuanyang, Jinping, Yuanjiang, Shiping, and perhaps also Jianshui counties
  • Far Northwestern Nisu: spoken in Beidou Township (北斗彝族乡), Yongping County (descendants of Nisu soldiers who migrated to Yongping during the early Ming Dynasty; most divergent Nisu variety)[8]

The Jiangcheng, Mojiang, and Lüchun varieties were grouped by Chen (1985) to be southern varieties, but Yang (2009)[7] found that they actually belonged to the Northern Nisu group.

Other varieties

Other Nisu or Southern Yi groups with similar autonyms or language varieties are:

A variety of Southern Nisu (autonym: ɲe33 su55 pʰo21) spoken in Aka Luoduo (阿卡洛多) village (also called Taiping village; 太平村),[11] Tianfang Village (田房村), Jiangcheng County is covered in Lu Yan (2008).[12]

In Tonghai County, Southern Yi (Nisu) is spoken by all generations only in Xiangping (象平), Bajiao (芭蕉), Sizhai (四寨), Shikan (石坎), Pingba (平坝), Shangzhuangke (上庄科), and Xiazhuangke (下庄科) villages.[13]

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar (Alveolo-)
palatal 		Retroflex Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ȵ ŋ
Stop voiceless p t k ʔ
aspirated pʰ tʰ kʰ
voiced b d ɡ
Affricate voiceless t͡s t͡ɕ t͡ʂ
aspirated t͡sʰ t͡ɕʰ t͡ʂʰ
voiced d͡z d͡ʑ d͡ʐ
Fricative voiceless f s ɕ ʂ x
voiced v z ʑ ʐ ɣ
lateral ɬ
Lateral l


Vowels

Front Central Back
unrd. rnd.
Close i, i̠ ɯ, ɯ̠ u, u̠
Mid e, e̠ (ə˞, ə˞̠) ɤ, ɤ̠ o, o̠
Open-mid (ɛ, ɛ̠)
Open a, a̠
  • Diphthongs /iɛ, i̠ɛ̠/ occur with alveolo-palatal consonants /t͡ɕ, t͡ɕʰ, d͡ʑ, ɕ, ʑ/ in complementary distribution, in the Laochang dialect.
  • Open-mid sounds /ɛ, ɛ̠/ only occur in the Shaochong dialect.
  • Rhotic vowels /ə˞, ə˞̠/ occur mainly in the Northwestern dialects.[14]
  • Sounds /i, i̠/ are heard as syllabic consonants [z̩, z̠̩] when following alveolar sibilants or affricates, and as syllabic retroflex [ʐ̩, ʐ̠̩] when following retroflex ones.[7]

Tones

3 tones occur as follows:

Name Pitch Symbol
Low (falling) 21 ˨˩
Mid 33 ˧
High 55 ˦

Notes

  1. ^ Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices
  2. ^ a b Southern at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Northern at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Eastern at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Southwestern (duplicate or spurious code)[1] at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Northwestern at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. ^ Northern Nisu at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Closed access icon
  4. ^ a b Lama 2012.
  5. ^ Pelkey 2011.
  6. ^ Chen, Bian & Li 1985.
  7. ^ a b c Yang 2009.
  8. ^ Blackburn & Blackburn 2007.
  9. ^ a b Yunnan sheng minzu shiwu weiyuanhui yanjiushi 1955, p. 40.
  10. ^ a b c Yunnan sheng Lüchun xianzhi bianzuan weiyuanhui 1992.
  11. ^ "Jiāngchéng Hānízú Yízú Zìzhìxiàn Guóqìng Xiāng Tiánfáng Cūnwěihuì Tàipíng Zìráncūn" 江城哈尼族彝族自治县国庆乡田房村委会太平自然村 [Taiping Natural Village, Tianfang Village Committee, Guoqing Township, Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County]. ynszxc.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  12. ^ Lu 2008.
  13. ^ Yunnan sheng Tonghai xian shizhi gongzuo weiyuanhui 1992, p. 600.
  14. ^ Li 1996.

References

  • Blackburn, P. L.; Blackburn, Laura (2007). Yongping Nisu Wordlist. Dali: SIL East Asia Group.
  • Chen, Shilin 陈士林; Bian, Shiming 边仕明; Li, Xiuqing 李秀清 (1985). Yíyǔ jiǎnzhì 彝语简志 [A Brief Description of the Yi Language] (in Chinese). Beijing: Minzu chubanshe.
  • Lama, Ziwo Qiu-Fuyuan (2012). Subgrouping of Nisoic (Yi) Languages (Ph.D. thesis). University of Texas at Arlington. hdl:10106/11161.
  • Li, Shengfu (1996). Yíyǔ nánbù fāngyán yánjiū 彜语南部方言研究 (in Chinese). Beijing: Minzu chubanshe.
  • Lu, Yan 陆燕 (2008). "Jiāngchéng Tiánfáng Yíyǔ jiégòu zhùcí yánjiū" 江城田房彝语结构助词研究. Yúnnán Mínzú Dàxué xuébào (Zhéxué shèhuì kēxué bǎn) 云南民族大学学报(哲学社会科学版) (in Chinese). 25 (4).
  • Yunnan sheng Lüchun xianzhi bianzuan weiyuanhui (1992). Lǜchūn xiànzhì 绿春县志 [Lüchun County Gazetteer] (in Chinese). Kunming: Yunnan renmin chubanshe.
  • Pelkey, Jamin R. (2011). Dialectology as Dialectic: Interpreting Phula Variation. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
  • Yang, Cathryn (2009). Nisu Dialect Geography. SIL Electronic Survey Report 2009-007. SIL International.
  • Yunnan sheng minzu shiwu weiyuanhui yanjiushi (1955). Yúnnán mínzú shìbié cānkǎo zīliào 雲南民族識別參考資料 (in Chinese). [Kunming]: Yunnan sheng minzu shiwu weiyuanhui yanjiushi – via doc88.com.
  • Yunnan sheng Tonghai xian shizhi gongzuo weiyuanhui (1992). Tōnghǎi xiànzhì 通海县志 [Tonghai County Gazetteer] (in Chinese). Kunming: Yunnan renmin chubanshe.
  • 雲南彝語方言詞彙彙編3
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