The Mentawai language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Mentawai people of the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, Indonesia.
| Mentawai | |
|---|---|
| Nganga Simatawe | |
| Native to | West Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Region | Mentawai Islands |
Native speakers | 58,000 (2000 census)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mwv |
| Glottolog | ment1249 |
Dialects
According to Ethnologue, Mentawai dialects include: Silabu, Sipura – Simalegi, Sakalagan, Saumanganja – North Siberut, South Siberut – Taikaku – Pagai.[1]
Syamsir Arifin, et al. (1992) list twelve dialects of Mentawai:
- Mentawai
- South Siberut
- Madobat
- Salappa
- Ulubaga
- Sipora
- Bariulou
- Bosua
- Sioban
- North Pagai
- Pasapuat
- Silabu
- Saumanganya
- South Pagai
- Boriai
- Bulasat
- Sikakap
- South Siberut
Dialects in Siberut Island are:[2]
- Sikapone
- Togiiite
- Pokai
- Simajegi
- Simatalu
- Paipajet
- Sakuddei
- Sagulubbe
- Sirileleu
- Sikabaluan
- Sempungan
- Saibi & Sarabua
- Silaoinan
- Sarareiket
- Sabirut
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiceless | p | t | (t͡ɕ) | k |
| voiced | b | d | d͡ʑ | ɡ | |
| Fricative | s | ||||
| Lateral | l | ||||
| Rhotic | r | ||||
| Semivowel | w | j | |||
- Allophones of /b ɡ k/ can be heard as [β ɣ ʔ]. [t͡ɕ] is a distinct sound in Mentawai, but not given phoneme status by Syamsir et al. because of the lack of minimal contrasts.[3]
- The semivowels /w j/ only appear in final position.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | a |
References
Bibliography
- Arifin, Syamsir; Malano, Nasroel; Kasim, Yuslina (1992). Fonologi Bahasa Mentawai [Mentawai Language Phonology] (PDF) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaa.
- Adriani, N. (1928). "Spraakkunstige Schets van de Taal der Mĕntawai-Eilanden" [Grammar Sketch of the Language of the Mĕntawai Islands]. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indië (in Dutch). 84 (1): 1–117. doi:10.1163/22134379-90001493. JSTOR 20770239.
