Japonic
Let an agent explain the Japonic language family and its history, relay classification, stages and debates from linguistic sources with attribution, describe the Ryukyuan languages and their status, and distinguish Japonic from Korean, Ainu and the Altaic hypothesis.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain the Japonic language family and its history, relay classification, stages and debates from linguistic sources with attribution, describe the Ryukyuan languages and their status, and distinguish Japonic from Korean, Ainu and the Altaic hypothesis.
A language family comprising Japanese and the Ryukyuan languages of the Ryukyu Islands, descended from Proto-Japonic and attested through Old Japanese, Early and Late Middle Japanese to the modern language, with debated links to the peninsular Japonic languages once spoken in Korea and to the language of the ancient polity of Yamatai; Japonic is generally treated as an independent family, though proposed relations to Korean and Altaic remain unproven, and its insular branch is threatened by the endangerment of Ryukyuan languages.
What it is for: Not applicable; a language family.
It can be explain classification; relay stages and debates; describe Ryukyuan status; distinguish from other families.
Distinguishing features
Japanese and Ryukyuan
Proto-Japonic reconstruction
Historical stages
Independent family
What it looks like
Not a visible object; Japanese and Ryukyuan languages.
Physical character
speakers: about 125 million - mostly Japanese
Ryukyuan languages: 5 to 6 count - UNESCO endangered
Old Japanese attested: 8th century period - Kojiki and Man yoshu
How it is recognised
Family of Japanese and Ryukyuan
Proto-Japonic, Old Japanese, Early and Late Middle Japanese, Insular Japonic, Ryukyuan, peninsular Japonic
Korean is a separate family; Ainu is unrelated; the Altaic grouping is disputed
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms, as a family
includes - as its largest member
includes - as the other branch
is debated in relation to - with no accepted link
In practice
Families and kinds
Japanese including Old, Early Middle, Late Middle and Modern Japanese
Ryukyuan languages such as Amami, Okinawan, Miyako, Yaeyama and Yonaguni
Insular Japonic as the surviving branch
peninsular Japonic as a hypothesised extinct branch
Hachijo as a possible separate branch
the language of Yamatai as a historical question
Identifiers
Glottolog japo1237 Japonic
ISO 639-5 jpx Japanese languages
Standards and regulation
Japanese language policy and recognition of Ryukyuan languages
UNESCO endangered language listings
ISO 639 codes
Failure modes and hazards
Treating Ryukyuan as dialects rather than languages, which is debated
Presenting Altaic or Korean links as settled
Speculation about Yamatai s language presented as fact
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What Japonic is.
Attribution.
Definition
Definition and classification.
Definition
Definition.
- What is the Japonic family, and how are Japanese and Ryukyuan related, as linguists classify them? definition
- Is the question about the family, Japanese, Ryukyuan, or a disputed external relation? boundary
Stages
Historical stages.
Stages
Stages.
- What are Proto-Japonic, Old Japanese and Early and Late Middle Japanese? definition
- Which entry fits the specific stage? action
History History and debates.
Attribution.
Origins
Origins.
Origins
Origins.
- Where did Japonic originate, what is peninsular Japonic, and what is known about the language of Yamatai, with hypotheses attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
External
External relations.
External
External.
- What do proposals linking Japonic to Korean, Altaic or Austronesian claim, and why are they unproven, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation attributed and cautious? boundary
Ryukyuan Ryukyuan languages.
Attribution.
Languages
Languages.
Languages
Languages.
- What are the Ryukyuan languages, and how do they differ from Japanese? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Status
Status and revitalisation.
Status
Status.
- How endangered are Ryukyuan languages, and what revitalisation efforts exist, with positions on language versus dialect attributed? provenance
- Which entry fits Ryukyuan languages? action
Context Culture and study.
Context.
Literature
Literature.
Literature
Literature.
- What literary traditions exist in Japanese and Ryukyuan? provenance
- Which entry fits Japanese literature? action
Study
Study.
Study
Study.
- How is Japonic studied, and what resources exist? provenance
- Which entry fits Japanese linguistics? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should Ryukyuan languages and Old Japanese be separate primary entries?
- How should linguistic sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming stages, branches and a historical polity; should they be split off?