Bengkulu language

Summary

Bengkulu Malay or Bengkulu is a Malayic language spoken on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, around the city of Bengkulu, in the rest of the Indonesian province of Bengkulu and in the Pesisir Barat Regency ("west coast") of Lampung Province. It is more closely related to other Malay variants in Sumatra such as Col, Jambi Malay and Palembang Malay as well Minangkabau spoken in neighbouring West Sumatra than to the Rejang language, which is also spoken in the province.

Bengkulu Malay
Bahaso Bengkulu
RegionBengkulu Province, Sumatra
EthnicityEthnic population: 66,000[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3bke retired and subsumed into pse [2]
pse-ben Bengkulu, Bencoolen, Bengkulan
Glottologbeng1290
Linguasphere33-AFA-du

Phonology edit

Bengkulu is written in the Latin alphabet and sometimes in Rejang script.

Consonants edit

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p ⟨p⟩ t ⟨t⟩ ⟨c⟩ k ⟨k⟩ ʔ ⟨k⟩ (coda)
voiced b ⟨b⟩ d ⟨d⟩ ⟨j⟩ ɡ ⟨g⟩
Nasal m ⟨m⟩ n ⟨n⟩ ɲ ⟨ny⟩, ⟨n⟩ (before c/j) ŋ ⟨ng⟩
Fricative s ⟨s⟩ ɕ ⟨si⟩ (h ⟨h⟩) (coda)
Lateral l ⟨l⟩
Tap ɾ ⟨r⟩
Semivowel j ⟨y⟩ w ⟨w⟩

The letters ⟨f⟩, ⟨sy⟩, ⟨v⟩ and ⟨z⟩ are used in loanwords from Indonesian.

Vowels edit

Front Central Back
Close i ⟨i⟩ u ⟨u⟩
Middle ɛ ⟨e/é⟩ ə ⟨e⟩ ɔ ⟨o⟩
Open a~ɑ ⟨a⟩

Bengkulu diphthongs are ⟨ai⟩, ⟨au⟩, ⟨ia⟩ and ⟨ua⟩ (where "ia" and "ua" are used in loanwords).

References edit

  1. ^ "Bengkulu in Indonesia". Joshua Project. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Change Request Documentation: 2007-179". SIL International.