Geusyoan language

The Geusyoan language (橋野語 Geusyo-gozu), also known as Geusyoan Yashiman (八島語 Geusyo yushimo-gozu) is an East Yashimic language primarily spoken in Geusyo, a region in southwestern Chisei, where it has official status, and in parts of northern Chanha south of the Chiseian border, by the Geusyoan people.

Historically, Geusyoan was the official language of the Kingdom of Geusyo, a breakaway state of the Hua dynasty that would later be absorbed into Shirakawa-Saramosir, the predecessor to Chisei, in the 18th century.

Vowels
Geusyoan has six vowels /a/, /i/, /u/, /e/, /o/ and /ï/. /ï/ is generally rendered as the high central vowel [ɨ], but is lowered to [ɘ] before the nasals (/n/ or /m/). Other vowels are largely similar to Shirakawan, save for /u/, which is generally compressed as in, and /i/, which is rendered as [ɪ] after vowels.

There are no length distinctions for vowels.

The vowels /e/ and /o/ are realized as [we] and [wo] when not preceded by a consonant.

Consonants
The Geusyoan consonant inventory is relatively simple and broadly similar to other Yashimic languages, with some quirks.

Geusyoan retains /p/ and /b/ from Old Yashiman; /h/ is written with the same series of kana as these sounds, but is actually seperate in origin, likely having a shared origin with /h/ in Kannaguru. The bilabial fricative /β/ is also unrelated, and likely stems from /f/, introduced via, as it is used largely in Hua loanwards. However recent loans from Yamataian and Shirakawan featuring /ɸ/ and /h/ are now often pronounced with /β/ or /h/ rather than /p/ or /b/. /s/ and /z/ become [ʃ] (sh) and /ʒ/ (zh) before /i/. All other postalveolar-vowel pairings however are depalatised into /sj/ and /zj/; 橋野 Gyōsho /gjo:ɕo/ versus Geusyo /gɛɯsjo/, and 湾州 Wanshu /wanɕu/ versus Wansyu /wʌnsjɯ/. This is a distinctive feature to other Yashimic speakers, and is often the go-to for identifying Geusyoan speakers.

Phonotactics
The phonotactics of Geusyoan are similar to Shirakawan. Syllables are (C)(j/w)V(C/Q), that is, with an optional syllable onset C, optional medial glide /j/ or /w/, a mandatory syllable nucleus V, and an optional syllable coda /N/ (ん) or /Q/ (っ). The coda /N/ is almost always a voiced alveolar nasal /n/, however a few loan and onomatopoeic words feature syllable final /k/ (く) or /ɾ/ (る), which are distinguished in writing with small kana; for example, くろ く くろ く kurok kurok (the sound of a frog or crow).

The coda /Q/ can only be present word-medially. When not preceded by a consonant, /e/ and /o/ must be headed by the glides /j/ and /w/ respectively.

Classification
Geusyoan is part of the East Yashimic languages, a subfamily of the Yashimic languages, alongside Shirakawan and Kitahashinese.

Linguistic variation
The major dialect families of Geusyoan are Western and Eastern. The key distinguishing features are in terms of phonology and pitch accent.

Phonological differences
Standard Geusyoan is predominantly based on the Bëipeko dialect, a subgroup of Western Geusyoan, and so the phonology discussed in this article is primarily representative of Western Geusyoan. Eastern Geusyoan has significant phonological differences.

In terms of vowels, ä, a and o are all realised as [ɔ], while the high vowels i, ü and u are all pronounced [ʉ], resulting in only four distinct vowels to the standard/western eight.

The rhotic liquid /ɾ/ often replaces the nasal /n/ word-initially, as in 猫 nëko /neko/ (cat) becoming rëko /ɾekɔ/. The eastern dialects also preserve the labialised /kʷ/ and /ɡʷ/ sounds, found in Shirakawan but largely lost in Standard/Western Geusyoan and the Insular Yashiman languages. There is a greater diversity of syllable coda in Eastern Geusyo, with /t/, /m/ and /p/ endings.

Pitch accent
Geusyoan overall has a two-pattern pitch accent: most words have a low-tone throughout, but if a word has an accent the syllable it falls on will have a high tone. In the Standard and Western dialects, the accent always falls on the first syllable, but in the East it falls on the second.

Chiseian-Chanhanese differences
In addition to the East-West divide, there are differences between dialects north and south of the Chiseian-Chanhanese border. South of the border there is little phonemic distinction between /s/ and /z/ or /ʃ/ and /ʒ/, with /s/ and /ʃ/ being predominant. /i/ is replaced by /ɪ/. /β/ has begun to revert into /f/, and /ɾ/ is usually realized closer to a lateral approximant [l] than a rhotic. The Chanhanese dialects combine aspects of eastern and western, with a more western vowel system but maintaining the /kʷ/ and /ɡʷ/ distinction and assimilating the /n/ nasal, as in 猫 lëko /lekɔ/.

In addition, the Chanhanese dialects feature a much heavier inventory of loans.