Semelai language

Semelai
Native toMalaysia
RegionMalay Peninsula
Ethnicity6,300 (2008)[1]
Native speakers
4,100 (2009)[1]
Latin script
Language codes
ISO 639-3sza
Glottologseme1247
ELPSemelai

Semelai is an Austroasiatic language spoken in the Malay Peninsula. It belongs to the Southern branch of the Aslian language subgrouping. The Semelai people 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]

Consonants
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
  • 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:

Vowels
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

  1. ^ a b Semelai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ 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.