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{{About|a dialect cluster covering the entire Amami Islands|its subgroup|Amami language}} |
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{{Infobox language |
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|name=Amami |
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|states=[[Japan]] |
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|region=The [[Amami Islands]], [[Kagoshima Prefecture]] |
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|date=2004 |
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|familycolor=Altaic |
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|fam1=[[Japonic languages|Japonic]] |
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|fam2=[[Ryukyuan languages|Ryukyuan]] |
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|fam3=[[Amami–Okinawan languages|Amami–Okinawan]] |
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|child2=Southern Amami |
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|lc1=ryn |ld1=Northern Amami-Oshima |
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|lc2=ams |ld2=Southern Amami-Oshima |
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|lc3=kzg |ld3=Kikai |
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|lc4=tkn |ld4=Toku-No-Shima |
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|lc5=okn |ld5=Oki-No-Erabu |
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|lc6=yox |ld6=Yoron |
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|glotto=amam1245 |
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|notice=IPA |
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}} |
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The '''Amami languages''' are a hypothetical [[dialect cluster]] spoken in the [[Amami Islands]], [[Kagoshima Prefecture]] of southwestern [[Japan]]. They constitute the [[Amami–Okinawan languages|northern branch]] of the [[Ryukyuan languages]], which are then part of the [[Japonic languages]]. The subdivisions of Amami–Okinawan are a matter of scholarly debate. The Amami languages, together with the [[Okinawan languages]], represent the two-subdivision hypothesis. |
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== Classification == |
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{{main|Amami–Okinawan languages#Subgroups}} |
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The basic unit of language or language variety in Ryukyuan is a traditionally isolated village community called ''shima'', where people used to live their entire life. Each ''shima'' has developed its own form of speech. People are well aware of differences in speeches between neighboring ''shima''. Clustering languages of some 800 ''shima'' requires non-trivial scholarly work.<ref name="nishioka2011">{{cite book |author=Nishioka Satoshi 西岡敏 |chapter=''Ryūkyūgo: shima goto ni kotonaru hōgen'' 琉球語: 「シマ」ごとに異なる方言 |editor=Kurebito Megumi 呉人恵 |title=''Nihon no kiki gengo'' 日本の危機言語 |year=2011 |language=Japanese }}</ref> Understanding how they have evolved from a common ancestor is an even more challenging task. |
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At high level, linguists mostly agree to make the north–south division. In this framework, Amami–Okinawan (Northern Ryukyuan) covers the [[Amami Islands]], [[Kagoshima Prefecture]] and the [[Okinawa Islands]], [[Okinawa Prefecture]]. The subdivisions of Amami–Okinawan, however, remain a matter of scholarly debate.<ref name="karimata2000">{{cite journal|author=Karimata Shigehisa 狩俣繁久 |title=''Amami Okinawa hōgengun ni okeru Okinoerabu hōgen no ichizuke"'' 奄美沖縄方言群における沖永良部方言の位置づけ (Position of Okierabu Dialect in Northern Ryukyu Dialects) |journal=''Nihon Tōyō bunka ronshū'' 日本東洋文化論集 |number=6 |year=2000 |page=43–69 |language=Japanese |url=http://ir.lib.u-ryukyu.ac.jp/handle/123456789/2379 }}</ref> There are at least two competing hypotheses and names given to hypothetical clusters are far from standardized. |
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The cluster of the Amami languages bases its existence on the two-subdivision hypothesis: |
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*Amami–Okinawan / Northern Ryukyuan |
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**'''Amami''' |
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***[[Amami language|Northern Amami]] |
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***Southern Amami |
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**[[Okinawan languages|Okinawan]] |
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***[[Northern Okinawan language|Northern Okinawan]] |
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***[[Okinawan language|Southern Okinawan]] |
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The other hypothesis assigns three primary branches to Amami–Okinawan: |
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*Amami–Okinawan / Northern Ryukyuan |
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**[[Amami language|Ōshima–Tokunoshima / Amami–Tokunoshima / Amami]] |
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**[[Kunigami language|Okinoerabu–Northern Okinawan / Okinoerabu–Yoron-Northern Okinawan / Kunigami]] |
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**[[Okinawan language|Southern Okinawan / South–Central Okinawan / Central Okinawan / Okinawan]] |
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In this framework, the Amami languages in question are disassembled into the first two groups. |
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== Subgroups == |
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The Amami languages consist of the following subgroups. |
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*Northern Amami |
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**Amami Ōshima |
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***[[Northern Amami Ōshima language|Northern Amami Ōshima]] |
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***[[Southern Amami Ōshima language|Southern Amami Ōshima]] |
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**[[Tokunoshima language|Tokunoshima]] |
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**[[Kikai language|Kikai]] (membership disputed) |
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*Southern Amami |
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**[[Okinoerabu language|Okinoerabu]] |
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***Eastern Okinoerabu |
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***Western Okinoerabu |
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**[[Yoron language|Yoron]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{Japanese language |collapsed}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Amami Languages}} |
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[[Category:Kagoshima Prefecture]] |
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[[Category:Ryukyuan languages]] |
Revision as of 19:58, 4 October 2014
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