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 to | Malaysia, Brunei |
Region | Sarawak and neighbouring Brunei |
Ethnicity | Melanau people |
Native speakers | 110,000 (2000)[1] |
Austronesian
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | Variously:mel – Central Melanaudro – Daro-Matu Melanausdx – Sibu Melanau |
Glottolog | cent2101 Centraldaro1239 Daro-Matusibu1258 Sibu |
Melanau has the following consonants.[3]
Bilabial | Coronal | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasals | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
Plosives and affricates |
voiceless | p | t | tʃ | k | ʔ | |
voiced | b | d | dʒ | ɡ | |||
Fricatives | s | h, ɦ | |||||
Lateral | l | ||||||
Trills | r | ʀ | |||||
Semivowels | w | j |
Melanau has the following vowels.[3]
front | central | back rounded | |
---|---|---|---|
High | i | u | |
Mid | ɛ | ə | ɔ |
Low | a |