Melanau language

Melanau
Central Melanau
Native to Malaysia, Brunei
Region Sarawak and neighbouring Brunei
Ethnicity Melanau people
Native speakers
 110,000 (2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Either:
mel – Central Melanau
sdx – Sibu Melanau
Glottolog cent2101  (Central)[2]
sibu1258  (Sibu)[3]

Melanau is an Austronesian language spoken in the coastal area of the Rejang delta on northwest Borneo, Sarawak, Malaysia and Brunei. There are several dialects—Mukah-Oya, Balingian, Bruit, Dalat, Igan, Sarikei, Segahan, Prehan, Segalang, and Siteng.[4]

Phonology

Consonants

Melanau has the following consonants.[5]

Bilabial Coronal Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Stops and
affricates		 Voiceless p t tʃ k ʔ
Voiced b d dʒ ɡ
Fricatives s h, hʲ
Nasals m n ɲ ŋ
Lateral l
Trills ɲ ʀ
Semivowels w j

Vowels

Melanau has the following vowels.[5]

front central back
rounded
High i u
Mid ɛ ə ɔ
Low ɡ

Notes

  1. ↑ Central Melanau at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Sibu Melanau at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Central Melanau". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Sibu Melanau". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  4. ↑ Raymond G. Gordon, Jr, ed. 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
  5. 1 2 Clayre 1970.

References

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