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{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
| name = Nantai
| name = Nantai
| nativename = 男体語<br>nâ-tái-go
| nativename = 男体語<br>nàn-tái-gò
| pronunciation = ˈnã̌.táiˌgo̞
| pronunciation = ˈnã̞.dáiˌgo̞
| creator = User:Jukethatbox
| creator = User:Jukethatbox
| created = 2024
| created = 2024
| setting = Alt-history Earth
| setting = Alt-history Earth
| state = Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
| state = Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
| speakers = ~566
| date = 2023
| familycolor = Altaic
| familycolor = Altaic
| fam1 = [[w:Japonic languages|Japonic]]
| fam1 = [[w:Japonic languages|Japonic]]
| ancestor1 = [[w:Proto-Japonic|Proto-Japonic]]
| ancestor1 = [[w:Proto-Japonic|Proto-Japonic]]
| stand1 = Standard Nantai
| stand1 = Standard Nantai
| dia1 = Western Tochigi
| dia1 = Western Tochigi<br>
** Nikkō-Nantai
** Shirane-Nantai
| dia2 = Eastern Tochigi(†)
| dia2 = Eastern Tochigi(†)
| script1 = Jpan
| script1 = Jpan
| script2 = Latn
| script2 = Latn
| minority = Japan
| minority = Japan
| agency = Nantai Association
| notice = ipa
| notice = ipa
}}
}}
'''Nantai'''
'''Nantai'''(男体語; <small>Nantai:</small> [[Help:IPA|[ˈnã̞.dáiˌgo̞]]]) is a [[w:Japonic languages|Japonic]] language spoken natively in what is now the [[w:Tochigi|Tochigi Prefecture]] in Japan. It is a critically endangered language, with only 566 remaining native speakers.
 
Due to its phonetic similarity to [[w:Japanese language|Japanese]], the language was officially considered a dialect of Japanese and was suppressed as "improper speech" until 1988, though linguists had been considering Nantai a separate language from as early as 1901 due to a lack of mutual intelligibility with Japanese.
 
Nantai has also influenced the [[w:Tochigi dialect|Tochigi dialect]] of Japanese, mainly through the lack of distinction between /i/ and /e/ sounds, which is the defining feature of Tochigi-ben, as well as the voicing of consonants between two vowels.
==Comparison with Tochigi-ben==
Nantai has heavily influenced the defining features of the Tochigi dialect of Japanese, alternatively called Tochigi-ben. Some features of Tochigi-ben borrowed from Nantai include:
* Lack of distinction between [e] and [i]
* Voicing of consonants between two vowels
* Lack of contracted syllables such as [gʲɯ]
* Lack of morphological polite register.
 
==Phonology==
==Phonology==
===Orthography===
===Orthography===
Nantai uses the three writing systems of Japanese: [[w:Kanji|Kanji]], [[w:Katakana|Katakana]] and [[w:Hiragana|Hiragana]]. All three scripts have the same purpose as in Japanese, with Hiragana for grammar, Kanji for vocabulary and Katakana for foreign loanwords.
====Romanisation====
<small>''Main article: [[Ōsugi-Min system]].''</small><br>
Nantai has a very different romanisation system than [[w:Hepburn romanisation|Hepburn]], the romanisation system used in Japanese. The main romanisation system used in Nantai is called the [[Ōsugi-Min system|Ōsugi-Min]] system, and looks much more like [[w:Hanyu Pinyin|Hanyu Pinyin]] than Hepburn, mainly because diacritics are used to show high and low tones.
===Consonants===
===Consonants===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! !! Bilabial !! Labiodental !! Alveolar !! Alveolo-<br>palatal !! Velar !! Palatal !! Glottal
|-
! Plosive
| p b || || t d || || k g || || ʔ
|-
! Fricative
| || f || s z || ɕ ʑ || || || h
|-
! Affricate
| || || || t͡ɕ d͡ʑ || || ||
|-
! Nasal
| m || || n || || (ŋ) || (ɲ) ||
|-
! Approximant
| w || || || || || ||
|-
! Lateral
| || || l || || || ||
|}
[ɲ] and [ŋ] are allophones of /n/, for before /e~i/ and before /k/ or /g/ respectively.
===Vowels===
===Vowels===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! !! Front !! Central !! Back
|-
! Close/close-mid
| i~e || || ɯ
|-
! Close-mid/Open-mid
|  || || o~ɔ
|-
! Open
| a || ||
|}
====Dipthongs====
In Japanese, /ou/ monophthongises to form a long /oː/. This rule does not occur in Nantai, so おう(''ou'') is pronounced [oʊ̯], not /oː/. In the now extinct Eastern Tochigi dialect, /ou/ was pronounced [joː], trading dipthongisation for initial palatalisation.
====Nasalisation====
When an alveolar nasal consonant(/n/) is after a vowel, the vowel is nasalised and the consonant is no longer pronounced, e.g. /a/ + /n/ → /an/ → /ã/.
Nasalised vowels are still considered vowels, so the VCV rule still applies, e.g. /ṼtṼ/ would still become /ṼdṼ/, with /Ṽ/ representing any nasalised vowel.
===Prosody===
===Prosody===
====Stress====
====Pitch-accent====
====Intonation====
Nantai uses a similar pitch-accent system as Japanese.
===Phonotactics===
===Phonotactics===
Nantai has a similar phonotactic system as Japanese, which mostly fits the (C)V(V) pattern.
===Morphophonology===
===Morphophonology===
==Morphology==
==Morphology==
===Particles===
Like in Japanese, Nantai uses particles to distinguish topic and comment.
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! Japanese particle !! Nantai equivalent !! Purpose of particle
|-
| は<br>''wa'' || None - sometimes shown by elongation of final vowel, e.g.<br>彼らー(''kárìra-'') || Indicates topic
|-
| を<br>''wo'' || を<br> written ''ǫ'', pronounced [o] or [oʊ̯]<ref name="shirane">Only in the Shirane dialect.</ref> || Indicates direct object of action
|-
| colspan=2 | が<br>''ga'' || Indicates subject, occasionally object
|-
| の<br>''no'' || の ''nó'' - for most words<br>なん ''nán'' - for masculine personal pronouns(彼 & 彼ら)|| Indicates possession
|-
| colspan=2 | に<br>''ni'' || In, at, on, during, etc.
|-
| へ<br>written ''he'', pronounced [ɛ]. ||ゐ<br>''į''<br>[i], [ehi~ehe]<ref name="shirane"></ref>|| To, towards, for
|}
===Pronouns===
====Personal====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! colspan=2 | !! Singular !! Plural
|-
! colspan=2 | First person
| ''hà''<br>私 || ''hà-táhi''<br>私達
|-
! colspan=2 | Second person
| ''náta''<br>なた || ''náta-táhi''<br>なた達
|-
! rowspan=2 | Third person
! Masculine
| ''kárì*''<br>彼 || ''kárìra''<br>彼ら
|-
! Feminine
| ''káno-sò*''<br>彼女 || ''káno-sò-táhi''<br>彼女達
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> ''Kárì''(彼) and ''káno-sò''(彼女) are loanwords from Japanese. Historically, Classical Nantai had no gendered third person pronouns.
====Demonstrative====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! !! Near !! Far !! Further
|-
! Singular
| rowspan=2 | ''kó''<br>こ || ''ká''<br>か || ''aká''<br>あか<ref>Not to be confused with ''áka''(赤), meaning "red".</ref>
|-
! Plural
| ''kásu''<br>かす || ''akásu''<br>あかす
|}
==Syntax==
==Syntax==
===Constituent order===
===Constituent order===

Latest revision as of 12:49, 5 June 2024

Nantai
男体語
nàn-tái-gò
Pronunciation[ˈnã̞.dáiˌgo̞]
Created byJukethatbox
Date2024
SettingAlt-history Earth
Native toTochigi Prefecture, Japan
Native speakers~566 (2023)
Japonic
  • Nantai
Early form
Standard form
Standard Nantai
Dialects
  • Western Tochigi
    • Nikkō-Nantai
    • Shirane-Nantai
  • Eastern Tochigi(†)
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Japan
Regulated byNantai Association
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Nantai(男体語; Nantai: [ˈnã̞.dáiˌgo̞]) is a Japonic language spoken natively in what is now the Tochigi Prefecture in Japan. It is a critically endangered language, with only 566 remaining native speakers.

Due to its phonetic similarity to Japanese, the language was officially considered a dialect of Japanese and was suppressed as "improper speech" until 1988, though linguists had been considering Nantai a separate language from as early as 1901 due to a lack of mutual intelligibility with Japanese.

Nantai has also influenced the Tochigi dialect of Japanese, mainly through the lack of distinction between /i/ and /e/ sounds, which is the defining feature of Tochigi-ben, as well as the voicing of consonants between two vowels.

Comparison with Tochigi-ben

Nantai has heavily influenced the defining features of the Tochigi dialect of Japanese, alternatively called Tochigi-ben. Some features of Tochigi-ben borrowed from Nantai include:

  • Lack of distinction between [e] and [i]
  • Voicing of consonants between two vowels
  • Lack of contracted syllables such as [gʲɯ]
  • Lack of morphological polite register.

Phonology

Orthography

Nantai uses the three writing systems of Japanese: Kanji, Katakana and Hiragana. All three scripts have the same purpose as in Japanese, with Hiragana for grammar, Kanji for vocabulary and Katakana for foreign loanwords.

Romanisation

Main article: Ōsugi-Min system.
Nantai has a very different romanisation system than Hepburn, the romanisation system used in Japanese. The main romanisation system used in Nantai is called the Ōsugi-Min system, and looks much more like Hanyu Pinyin than Hepburn, mainly because diacritics are used to show high and low tones.

Consonants

Bilabial Labiodental Alveolar Alveolo-
palatal		 Velar Palatal Glottal
Plosive p b t d k g ʔ
Fricative f s z ɕ ʑ h
Affricate t͡ɕ d͡ʑ
Nasal m n (ŋ) (ɲ)
Approximant w
Lateral l

[ɲ] and [ŋ] are allophones of /n/, for before /e~i/ and before /k/ or /g/ respectively.

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close/close-mid i~e ɯ
Close-mid/Open-mid o~ɔ
Open a

Dipthongs

In Japanese, /ou/ monophthongises to form a long /oː/. This rule does not occur in Nantai, so おう(ou) is pronounced [oʊ̯], not /oː/. In the now extinct Eastern Tochigi dialect, /ou/ was pronounced [joː], trading dipthongisation for initial palatalisation.

Nasalisation

When an alveolar nasal consonant(/n/) is after a vowel, the vowel is nasalised and the consonant is no longer pronounced, e.g. /a/ + /n/ → /an/ → /ã/.

Nasalised vowels are still considered vowels, so the VCV rule still applies, e.g. /ṼtṼ/ would still become /ṼdṼ/, with /Ṽ/ representing any nasalised vowel.

Prosody

Pitch-accent

Nantai uses a similar pitch-accent system as Japanese.

Phonotactics

Nantai has a similar phonotactic system as Japanese, which mostly fits the (C)V(V) pattern.

Morphophonology

Morphology

Particles

Like in Japanese, Nantai uses particles to distinguish topic and comment.

Japanese particle Nantai equivalent Purpose of particle
は
wa		 None - sometimes shown by elongation of final vowel, e.g.
彼らー(kárìra-)		 Indicates topic
を
wo		 を
written ǫ, pronounced [o] or [oʊ̯][1]		 Indicates direct object of action
が
ga		 Indicates subject, occasionally object
の
no		 の nó - for most words
なん nán - for masculine personal pronouns(彼 & 彼ら)		 Indicates possession
に
ni		 In, at, on, during, etc.
へ
written he, pronounced [ɛ].		 ゐ
į
[i], [ehi~ehe][1]		 To, towards, for

Pronouns

Personal

Singular Plural
First person hà
私		 hà-táhi
私達
Second person náta
なた		 náta-táhi
なた達
Third person Masculine kárì*
彼		 kárìra
彼ら
Feminine káno-sò*
彼女		 káno-sò-táhi
彼女達

* Kárì(彼) and káno-sò(彼女) are loanwords from Japanese. Historically, Classical Nantai had no gendered third person pronouns.

Demonstrative

Near Far Further
Singular kó
こ		 ká
か		 aká
あか[2]
Plural kásu
かす		 akásu
あかす

Syntax

Constituent order

Noun phrase

Verb phrase

Sentence phrase

Dependent clauses

Example texts

Other resources

  1. ^ a b Only in the Shirane dialect.
  2. ^ Not to be confused with áka(赤), meaning "red".
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