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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)[1]
160,000 Northern (no date)[2]
Yi logograms
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
nsd – Southern
yiv – Northern
nos – Eastern
nsv – Southwestern (duplicate or spurious code)
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.[1] According to Lama (2012),[3] 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),[4] but is traditionally classified as a Northern Loloish language, including by Lama (2012).[3]

Internal classification

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Chen et al. (1985)

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Chen et al. (1985:114)[5] 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)

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Yang (2009)[6] classifies the Nisu dialects as follows.[7]

  • 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)[6] found that they actually belonged to the Northern Nisu group.

Other varieties

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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]

Lexicography

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Pu (2021) is a Nisu-Chinese dictionary, with Nisu words transcribed in both IPA and Yi script. It is based on the Nisu dialect of Renhou Village 仁厚村 and Yongning Village 永宁村, both of which are located several kilometers north of Mengzi City, Yunnan.[14]

Phonology

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Consonants

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

Vowels

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There is distinction between tight-throat vowels and lax-throat (plain) vowels.

Front Central Back
unrd. tight unrd. tight unrd. rnd. tight
Close i i ɯ u ɯ u
Mid e e (ə˞) (ə˞) ɤ o ɤ o
Open-mid (ɛ) (ɛ)
Open a a
  • Diphthongs /iɛ, iɛ/ occur with alveolo-palatal consonants /t͡ɕ, t͡ɕʰ, d͡ʑ, ɕ, ʑ/ in complementary distribution, in the Laochang dialect.
  • Open-mid sounds /ɛ, ɛ/ only occur in the Shaochong dialect.
  • Rhotic vowels /ə˞, ə˞/ occur mainly in the Northwestern dialects.[15]
  • Sounds /i, i/ are heard as syllabic consonants [z̩, z̩] when following alveolar sibilants or affricates, and as syllabic retroflex [ʐ̩, ʐ̩] when following retroflex ones.[6]

Tones

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3 tones occur as follows:

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

Notes

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  1. ^ 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) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Northwestern at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Northern Nisu at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Closed access icon
  3. ^ a b Lama 2012.
  4. ^ Pelkey 2011.
  5. ^ Chen, Bian & Li 1985.
  6. ^ a b c Yang 2009.
  7. ^ Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices
  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. ^ Pu Changshou 普长寿. 2021. Yiyu Nisuhua Hanyu changyong cihui duizhao 彝语尼苏话与汉语常用词汇对照. Kunming: Yunnan People's Publishing House 云南民族出版社. ISBN 9787536788206.
  15. ^ Li 1996.

References

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  • 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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