Berawan language
| Berawan | |
|---|---|
| Region | Sarawak, Malaysia |
Native speakers | 3,600 (2010)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:zbc – Centralzbe – Eastzbw – Westlod – inclusive (deprecated in 2008) |
| Glottolog | bera1264 |
Berawan is an Austronesian language spoken in eastern Sarawak, Malaysia.
Dialects
[edit]- Lakiput
- Narom
- Lelak
- Dali
- Miri long teran
- Belait
- Tutong
- Long Terawan
- Long Tutoh
- Mulu Caves
Distribution
[edit]- Baram (Tutoh-Tinjar)
- Batu Bela (Sungai Merah / Lower Tutoh)
- Long Terawan (Middle Tutoh)
- Long Teru (Lower Tinjar)
- Long Jegan (Middle Tinjar)
- Long Teran
- Long Tabing
- Long Takong
- Loagan Bunut National Park
- Long Patan
- Long Palo (Tutoh)
- Long Kuk
Reconstruction
[edit]Proto-Berawan is the reconstructed proto-language of all Berawan language varieties. Its phonology has been extensively reconstructed by Jürgen M. Burkhardt in 2014.
Sound changes from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian
[edit]- Severe limitations on antepenult syllables
All preantepenult syllables were lost in Proto-Berawan: *kalapani > *ləpineʔ > metathesised *pəlineʔ 'swallow (bird)'. Following this stage, all vowels in antepenult syllables were neutralised into *ə: *tinaʔi > *tənaʔeʔ 'small intestines'.[2]
- Vowel changes in penult syllables
The vowel *i, when preceding a vowel, inserted a glide in between, followed by other developments (*-iy- > *-iyy- > *-əyy- > *-əjj-). Meanwhile, *ə largely did not change during Proto-Berawan stage, but it geminated the following consonant (*pənuq > *pənno 'full'). The only exceptions were in word-initial position, in two words changed early into *a (*əzan, *əmbaw > *acciən 'notched log ladder', *appiəw 'high'), while in two others simply deleted it (*əpat, *əsuŋ > *pat 'four', *coŋ 'rice mortar').
When following other consonants, *a remains, but when following voiced (*b, *β, *d, *z, *g) or palatal (*j, *ñ, *y) consonants, it became *i instead (*batu > *bittoh 'stone', *ia > *jiəh '(s)he/it'). The consonant *l did not block the raising (*balu > *billoh 'widow').[3]
References
[edit]- ↑ Central at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
East at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
West at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
inclusive (deprecated in 2008) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) - ↑ Burkhardt 2014, p. 197–199.
- ↑ Burkhardt 2014, p. 199–214.
Bibliography
[edit]- Burkhardt, Jürgen M. (2014). The Reconstruction of the Phonology of Proto-Berawan (Thesis). Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University.
External links
[edit]- Kaipuleohone has an open access collection of materials (RB2-003) that includes notes on Berawan.
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