Melanau language

Melanau is an Austronesian language spoken in the coastal area of the Rajang delta on northwest Borneo, Sarawak, Malaysia and Brunei. There are several dialects—Mukah-Oya, Balingian, Bruit, Dalat,Lawas, Igan, Sarikei, Segahan, Prehan, Segalang, and Siteng.[2]

Melanau
Central Melanau
Native toMalaysia, Brunei
RegionSarawak and neighbouring Brunei
EthnicityMelanau people
Native speakers
110,000 (2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
mel  Central Melanau
sdx  Sibu Melanau
Glottologcent2101  Central
sibu1258  Sibu

Phonology

Consonants

Melanau has the following consonants.[3]

BilabialCoronalPalatalVelarUvularGlottal
Stops and
affricates
Voiceless ptkʔ
Voiced bdɡ
Fricatives sh,
Nasals mnɲŋ
Lateral l
Trills rʀ
Semivowels wj

Vowels

Melanau has the following vowels.[3]

frontcentralback
rounded
High iu
Mid ɛəɔ
Low a

Notes

  1. Central Melanau at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Sibu Melanau at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Raymond G. Gordon Jr., ed. 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
  3. Clayre 1970.

References

  • I.F.C.S. Clayre. 1970. "The Spelling of Melanau (nee Milano)," The Sarawak Museum Journal 18:330-352.
  • Rensch, Calvin R. 2012. Melanau and the Languages of Central Sarawak. SIL Electronic Survey Report. SIL International.
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