Äynu language

Infobox Language
name=Äynu
states=China
region=Xinjiang
speakers=6,570
familycolor=Altaic
fam1=Altaic
fam2=Turkic
fam3=Eastern
iso2=tut
iso3=aib



Map showing locations of Äynu (red) within Xinjiang

Äynu is a Turkic language spoken in western China known in various spelling as Aini, Aynu, Ainu, Eyni or by the Uyghur Abdal (ئابدال), in Russian sources Эйну́, Айну, Абдал, by the Chinese as Ainu. Some linguists call it a mixed language, having a mostly Turkic grammar, essentially Uyghur, but a mainly Iranian vocabulary [Citation
last =Bakker
first =Peter
year =2003
contribution =Mixed Languages as Autonomous Systems
editor-last =Matras
editor-first =Yaron
editor2-last =Bakker
editor2-first =Peter
title =The Mixed Language Debate: Theoretical and Empirical Advances
series =Trends in Linguistics
place =Berlin
publisher =Mouton de Gruyter
pages =107-150
isbn =3110177765] . Other linguists argue that it does not meet the technical requirements of a mixed language. [Johansson 2001] . It is spoken by the Äynu, a nomadic people. The Äynu people call their language Äynú (ئەينۇ) [unicode|ɛjunicode|ˈnu] . Due to the variant "Aini" it has to be distinguished from the Ainu language of Japan and Russia, to which it is not related. [Johansson 2001]

Geographic distribution

Äynu is spoken in Western China in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin.

Use as a secret language

The only speakers of Äynu are adult men. Uyghur is spoken with outsiders and with women, who do not speak Äynu. Uyghur is spoken at home when it is not necessary to disguise one's speech. [Johansson, pg. 22.]

ounds

Consonants

Vowels

Numerals

Äynu numerals are borrowed from Persian:

1 yäk, 2 du, 3 si, 4 čar, 5 pänǰ, 6 šäš, 7 häp(t), 8 häš(t), 9 noh, 10 dah, 20 bist, 100 säd, 1000 hazar

Notes

References

*Lars Johansson. 2001. Discoveries on the Turkic Linguistic Map. Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul Publications 5. Stockholm: Svenska Forskningsinstitutet i Istanbul. Page [http://www.srii.org/Map.pdf available online]
*cite book | author=Hayasi, Tooru | title=A Šäyxil vocabulary : a preliminary report of linguistic research in Šäyxil Village, southwestern Xinjiang | location=Kyoto | publisher=Faculty of Letters, Kyoto University | year=1999

*cite book | author=Hayasi, Tooru | title=Lexical copying in Turkic: The case of Eynu. In: Asli Göksel - Celia Kerslake (eds.): Studies on Turkish and Turkic languages. Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Turkish Linguistics, Oxford, 1998. Turcologica 46. pp. 433-439 | location=Wiesbaden | publisher=Harrassowitz | year=2000

*cite book | author=Tietze, Andreas & Ladstätter, Otto | title=Die Abdal (Äynu) in Xinjiang. Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Philosophisch-historische Klasse. Sitzungsberichte 604 | location=Wien | publisher=Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften | year=1994

External links

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=aib Ainu in Ethnologue]
* [http://www.srii.org/Map.pdf Discoveries on the Turkic Linguistic Map]