The Naish languages are a low-level subgroup of Sino-Tibetan languages that include Naxi, Na (Mosuo), and Laze.

Classification The Naish languages are: Naish Naxi Na (Narua, Mosuo) Laze

Arguments for relatedness include irregular morphotonology: tone patterns of numeral-plus-classifier phrases that constitute shared structural properties. Since these similarities are phonetically nontransparent, they cannot be due to borrowing.

Work towards further subgroupings remains to be carried out, notably to determine where the Malimasa language (dialect) fits within the Naish group.

In turn, Naish together with Namuyi and Shixing constitutes the Naic subgroup within Sino-Tibetan.

Names Note that in Mainland China, the term "Naxi" is commonly used for the entire language group, e.g. by the influential linguistic introduction by He and Jiang (2015).He Jiren 和即仁 & Jiang Zhuyi 姜竹仪. 1985. Naxiyu Jianzhi 纳西语简志 (A Brief Description of the Naxi Language). Beijing 北京: Minzu Chubanshe 民族出版社.Michaud, Alexis, He Limin & Zhong Yaoping. 2015. "Naxi / Naish." In Rint Sybesma, Wolfgang Behr, Zev Handel & C.T. James Huang (eds.), Encyclopedia of Chinese Language and Linguistics. Leiden: Brill. The terms "Naish" and "Naic" are derived from the endonym Na used by speakers of several of the languages. These concepts were initially proposed by Guillaume Jacques & Alexis Michaud (2011).Jacques, Guillaume, and Alexis Michaud. 2011. "Approaching the historical phonology of three highly eroded Sino-Tibetan languages: Naxi, Na and Laze." Diachronica 28:468-498. Phylogenetic issues are summarized in the entry about the Naic subgroup. For a review of the literature about Naish languages, see Li (2015).Li Zihe 李子鹤. 2015. 纳西语言研究回顾——兼论语言在文化研究中的基础地位 (A review of Naxi language studies, with a discussion of the fundamental role of cultural studies for linguistic research). 茶马古道研究期刊 4. 125–131.

Lexical innovations Jacques & Michaud (2011) list the following words as Naish lexical innovations. Gloss Naxi Na Laze Proto-Naish to stumble pe˧ khɯ.piM *(S)pa cloud ki˩ tɕi˧ tɕi˩sɯ˥ *ki village hi˧mbe˧ fv̩.biL ɖɯ˧bie˧ *mba Bai people le˧bv̩˧ ɬi.bv̩M *Sla noble sɯ.phiM sɯ˩phie˩ *si pha medicine (2nd syllable) ʈʂhɚ˧ɯ˧ ʈʂhæ.ɯH tshɯ˧fi˧ *rtshi Swri

Reconstruction Proto-Naish, the proto-language ancestral to the Naish languages, has been reconstructed by Jacques & Michaud (2011). Another reconstruction of Proto-Naish by Zihe Li is in progress; he has published articles detailing open-syllable rhymes, laterals, pre-initials, and retroflex finals.

Phoneme inventory The Proto-Naish consonant inventory is as follows:

+ Proto-Naish consonants Type Labial Coronal Dorsal Uvular Nasals *m *n *ŋ Stops voiceless *p *t *k *q voiced *b *d *ɡ aspirated *pʰ *tʰ *kʰ *qʰ Fricatives *s *z *ɕ *ɕʰ Affricates*ts *tsʰ *tɕ *tɕʰ Liquids and glides *w *r *l *l̥ *j

The Proto-Naish vowel inventory is disputed; Jacques and Michaud reconstruct seven vowels (notated in their paper with respectively). On the other hand, Li reconstructs a simple five-vowel system .

According to Jacques and Michaud, Proto-Naish syllables are exclusively open syllables, not counting the rhyme spelled by Jacques and Michaud as *iN. This situation came about due to a total loss of all pre-Naish coda consonants without a trace; pre-Naish vowels in closed syllables have identical outcomes to their open-syllable counterparts. However, Li believes that there are enough traces of the lost consonants to reconstruct a proto-Naish with closed syllables.

Reflexes of vowels The reflexes of vowels depend heavily on the preceding consonant. Jacques and Michaud employ the following cover symbols: K for velar stops TS for affricates and sibilants R for *r and clusters that result in retroflex consonants in attested Naish S for *r or *s

Jacques & Michaud The vowel reflexes in Naish as charted by Jacques and Michaud are as follows.

+ Naish reflexes of Proto-Naish vowels (Jacques and Michaud) Vowel Preceding consonant(s) Naxi Na Laze *æ K ɑ ɑ ɑ TS e e e *w ɯ i i Velar + *w ɑ ɤ ɤ R ɯ e ɯ Elsewhere e i ie *ɑ Everywhere ɑ ɑ ɑ *ɔ Everywhere o o u *i TS or R ɯ ɯ ɯ *m i v̩ v̩ *kr ɯ ɯ i Elsewhere i i i *ĩ Any cluster with *r; ɕ ɚ æ æ TS ɚ i i *u TS ɯ i y Labial stop + *r ɚ v̩ v̩ Elsewhere v̩ v̩ v̩ *o Everywhere u u u

Li Li, who reconstructs only a five-vowel system , charts the vowel reflexes as follows: + Naish reflexes of Proto-Naish vowels (Li) Vowel Preceding consonant(s) Naxi Malimasa Na *a K ɑ ɑ ɑ TS e ɛ e (C)w but not Pw or Kw ɯ ɯ i Velar + *w ɑ ɑ ɤ Labial + *w u ɑ o R ɯ ɤ e Preglottalized R u ɚ e *mr- ɯ e i Elsewhere e ɛ i*e TS i ie i K ɯ ɤ i Cr ɚ ɚ a *m i o v̩ *i nj or Kj i i i *Kr ɯ i ɯ Elsewhere ɯ ɯ ɯ *o Cr ɚ o v̩ P v̩ o v̩ Elsewhere u u o *u TS ɯ v̩ i *ɕ and *j y u u *m ɯ v̩ v̩ Elsewhere v̩ v̩ v̩

Li also provides reflexes of various closed syllables he reconstructs: + Proto-Naish closed syllable reflexes Rhyme Context Naxi Malimasa Na -ak T- ɑ ɑ ɑKw-ɑɑɤP-uɑor-aaa -aɣT-ouoCw-ɚoaKr-, Cj-ɤɤɤCr-wɑowa -eɣs-ɚii -oɣ(anywhere)ooo -at(anywhere)ɑɑɑ ~ a -alP-ɤɑɤTs-awawaRetroflexeswɑwawa -els-ɯɚɯ(elsewhere)ɤɤɯ -il (anywhere) ???io -ulRetroflexesɚoɻ̩(elsewhere)ɯoɯ -apTSyyi(elsewhere)ouo -am (anywhere)aaa

Reflexes of consonants Naish features up to five series of stop corresponences: aspirated, voiceless, voiced, prenasalized voiced, and prenasalized voiceless.

+ Naish reflexes of Proto-Naish consonants Class Proto-Naish Naxi Na Laze Labial stopspʰpʰpʰpʰppppbbbbmbmbbbmppbb Coronal stopstʰtʰtʰtʰttttddddndnddd Velar stopskʰkʰkʰ (before *u, *o) qʰ (before *a, *ɔ) tɕʰ (before *i)kʰ (most places) tsʰ (before *i)kkk q (before *a) tɕ (before *i)k q (before *a) tɕ (before *i)ggggŋgŋgggŋkkʁ(inconsistent) Uvular stopsqʰkʰqʰqʰq?qqɴqkʁʁ Sibilantssssszzzzɕʂʂʂ Affricatestsʰtsʰtsʰtsʰtstststsdzdzdzdzndzndzdzdztɕʰʈʂʰʈʂʰʈʂʰtɕktɕtɕ Sonorantslllll̥hɬɬmmmmnnnnŋŋŋŋj(lost)ʑz

Reflexes of consonant clusters Proto-Naish possessed many syllable-initial consonant clusters that were simplified in the Naish languages.

Jacques and Michaud

In the following chart, the following cover symbols are used: S standing for *s or *r; C standing for a stop. N standing for a nasal consonant.

+ Reflexes of Proto-Naish consonant clusters Cluster type Cluster Naxi Na Laze C1C2Cbb(lost)vCk?hhCgg(lost)? S-initialSpppfSbbb(w)SmbmbbvStttʈskkkfSŋkkʁ(w)SllɬɬSNhhhSwhhf Preserved Cw clusterskʰwkʰwqʰwkʰwŋw?ŋwŋw Cr clustersprppppʰrpʰpʰpʰbrbbbkrkktstrʈʂʈʂʈʂgrgg?CŋkrkjʁʁCŋgrŋgjʁʁ R-initialrllɻlrt?ʈ?rdndɖɖrtsʈʂʈʂtsrtsʰʈʂʰʈʂʰtsʰrsʂʂs MiscellaneousCdzdzzz

Li Li's own analysis of consonant clusters is as follows. He reconstructs two types of pre-initial: homorganic nasal pre-initials, and a non-homorganic pre-initial *C1 (C in the below table).

+ Proto-Naish consonant clusters (Li) Class Cluster Naxi Malimasa Na Lijiang Baoshan Bowan Ninglang Yongning C-initialCppppxχpCbbbbwʁbCmbbbmbwʁbCddddl(lost)dClxxɬCdzdʑdʑdztɕʰtɕʰdʑCkkkk(ɣ)ʁʁCgkkg(lost)(lost)ʁCnggŋgŋg(lost)ʁʁCqkqkɣʁʁ NC-mbbmbmb(m)bbbnddndnd(n)dddnl̥lllxɬɬŋggŋgŋg(ŋ)gggndzdzndzndz(n)dzdzdz r-medialprpppp or tʂpppʰrpʰpʰpʰpʰ or tʂʰpʰ or tʂʰpʰbrbbbbbbmbrbmbmbbbbtrttttʂtʂttʰrtʰtʰtʰʂʂʈndrdnɖnɖɖɖdʐnrnɳnɳɳɳtsrtʂtʂtʂtststʂtsʰrtʂʰtʂʰtʂʰtsʰtsʰtʂʰsrʂʂʂssʂkrk or tɕk or tɕk or ctɕ or tʂ or ktɕ or kkkʰrkʰkʰkʰtɕʰtɕʰkʰgrgggdʐdʐgŋgrgŋgŋgdʐdʐgxrxxhʂʂx Misc.ljlɭ/ʐl/ʐ

See also List of Proto-Naish reconstructions (Wiktionary)

References