Semelai language
Semelai | |
---|---|
Native to | Malaysia |
Region | Malay Peninsula |
Ethnicity | 6,300 (2008)[1] |
Native speakers | 4,100 (2009)[1] |
Latin script | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | sza |
Glottolog | seme1247 |
ELP | Semelai |
Semelai is an
Aslian language subgrouping. The Semelai reside predominantly around the Bera, Serting and associated river systems in the states of Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Johor
.
Phonology
Semelai has 32 consonants and 20 vowels.[2]
Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | voiceless | p | t
|
c | k | ʔ |
aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | cʰ | kʰ | ||
voiced | b | d
|
ɟ | ɡ | ||
Fricative | s ~ ɕ | h | ||||
Nasal | voiceless | m̥ | n̥ | ŋ̊ | ||
voiced | m | n
|
ɲ | ŋ | ||
preglottal | ʔm | ʔn | ʔɲ | |||
Approximant | plain | l
|
j | w | ||
preglottal | ʔl | ʔj | ||||
Trill | plain | r
|
||||
preglottal | ʔr |
This article or section should specify the language of its non-English content, using {{lang}}, {{transliteration}} for transliterated languages, and {{IPA}} for phonetic transcriptions, with an appropriate ISO 639 code. Wikipedia's multilingual support templates may also be used. (December 2021) |
- Stops /p t c k/ are heard as [p̚ t̚ c̚ k̚] word-final position.
- Palatal sounds /c ɟ/ are slightly affricated as [cᶝ ɟᶽ] when in word-initial position.
- /s/ may occur as [s] or [ɕ] within free variation.
- Nasals /m n ɲ ŋ/ can occur as prestopped [ᵇm ᵈn ᶡɲ ᶢŋ] when in word-final position.
- /r/ can be heard as [ɾ] when in word-final position. When preceded by a nasal /n/ it is heard as [ᵈr].
- /w j/ are heard as off-glides [ ʷ, ʲ] when in word-final position. After nasal vowels, they are then heard as nasalized [ ʷ̃, ʲ̃].
Vowels are also distinguished with nasal counterparts:
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i ĩ | ʉ ʉ̃ | u ũ |
Close-mid | e ẽ | ə ə̃ | o õ |
Open-mid | ɛ ɛ̃ | ɔ ɔ̃ | |
Open | a ã | ɒ ɒ̃ |
- /ɒ/ is phonetically noted as [ɒ̙].
- /i/ can be heard as [ɪ] in closed syllables
- /ə/ can be heard as [ʌ] in stressed word-final syllables
Notes
- ^ a b Semelai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Kruspe (2004)
References
- Hoe, Ban Seng (2001). Baer, Adela S.; Gianno, Rosemary (eds.). Semelai Communities at Tasek Bera: A Study of the Structure of an Orang Asli Society. Subang Jaya, Malaysia: Centre for Orang Asli Concerns. ISBN 983-40042-3-0.
- Kruspe, Nicole (2004a). A Grammar of Semelai. Cambridge Grammatical Descriptions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81497-9.
- Kruspe, Nicole (2004b). "Adjectives in Semelai". In Dixon, R. M. W.; A. Y. Aikhenvald (eds.). Adjective Classes: a cross-linguistic typology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 283–305.
External links
- http://projekt.ht.lu.se/rwaai RWAAI (Repository and Workspace for Austroasiatic Intangible Heritage)
- http://hdl.handle.net/10050/00-0000-0000-0003-66E3-8@view Semelai in RWAAI Digital Archive