Kaera language

Last updated
Kaera
Native to Indonesia
Region Pantar Island
Native speakers
5,500 (2014) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 jka
Glottolog kaer1234
ELP Kaera

Kaera is a Papuan language spoken on the northeastern coast of Pantar island in the Alor archipelago of Indonesia. It belongs to the Timor-Alor-Pantar language family. Kaera is used alongside Indonesian in religious contexts, but not used in education.

Contents

Phonology

All the information in this section is from Klamer's sketch grammar. [2]

Consonants

Consonant phonemes
  Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive p b t d    k g   
Fricative    s     x  ( h ) 
Nasal   m   n     ŋ   
Trill     r       
Lateral approximant     l       
Approximant   w     j     

Vowels

Monophthong phonemes
  Front Central Back
Close i   u
Mid ɛ ɛː   ɔ ɔː
Open   a  

Related Research Articles

In addition to its classical and literary form, Malay had various regional dialects established after the rise of the Srivijaya empire in Sumatra, Indonesia. Also, Malay spread through interethnic contact and trade across the Malay Archipelago as far as the Philippines. That contact resulted in a lingua franca that was called Bazaar Malay or low Malay and in Malay Melayu Pasar. It is generally believed that Bazaar Malay was a pidgin, influenced by contact among Malay, Hokkien, Portuguese, and Dutch traders.

Pantar

Pantar is the second largest island in the Indonesian Alor Archipelago, after Alor. To the east is the island of Alor and other small islands in the archipelago; to the west is the Alor Strait, which separates it from the Solor Archipelago. To the south is the Ombai Strait, and 72 kilometres (45 mi) away, the island of Timor. To the north is the Banda Sea. Pantar is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-to-south, and varies from 11 to 29 kilometres in east-west width. It has an area of 776.12 square kilometres (299.66 sq mi). The main towns on the island are Baranusa and Kabir. Administratively, the island is part of the Alor Regency.

West Papuan languages Language family of Indonesia

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Bunak language Papuan language spoken on Timor, Indonesia

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Western Pantar language Papuan language spoken in parts of Indonesia

Western Pantar, sometimes referred to by the name of one of its dialects, Lamma, is a Papuan language spoken in the western part of Pantar island in the Alor archipelago of Indonesia. Western Pantar is spoken widely in the region by about 10,000 speakers. Although speakers often use Malay in political, religious, and educational contexts, Western Pantar remains the first language of children of the region, and is acquired to some extent by immigrants.

Bomberai Peninsula is located in the Western New Guinea region, opposite to and to the south of the Bird's Head Peninsula. To the west lies the Sebakor Bay and to the south Kamrau Bay. Sabuda island lies off the western tip of the peninsula, and is separated from the mainland by Berau and Bintuni straits.

Abui is a non-Austronesian language of the Alor Archipelago. It is spoken in the central part of Alor Island in Eastern Indonesia, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province by the Abui people. The native name in the Takalelang dialect is Abui tanga which literally translates as 'mountain language'.

West Bomberai languages

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Alor–Pantar languages Papuan languages of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia

The Alor–Pantar languages are a family of clearly related Papuan languages spoken on islands of the Alor archipelago near Timor in southern Indonesia. They may be most closely related to the Papuan languages of eastern Timor, but this is not yet clear. A more distant relationship with the Trans–New Guinea languages of the Bomberai peninsula of Western New Guinea has been proposed based on pronominal evidence, but though often cited has never been firmly established.

The Timor–Alor–Pantar (TAP) languages are a family of Papuan (non-Austronesian) languages spoken in Timor, Kisar, and the Alor archipelago in Southern Indonesia.

West Trans–New Guinea languages

The West Trans–New Guinea languages are a suggested linguistic linkage of Papuan languages, not well established as a group, proposed by Malcolm Ross in his 2005 classification of the Trans–New Guinea languages. Ross suspects they are an old dialect continuum, because they share numerous features that have not been traced to a single ancestor using comparative historical linguistics. The internal divisions of the languages are also unclear. William A. Foley considers the TNG identity of the Irian Highlands languages at least to be established.

Alorese is an Austronesian language spoken on Alor and the neighboring islands of the Alor archipelago in eastern Indonesia. It is not to be confused with non-Austronesian (Papuan) languages of the Alor–Pantar family which are also spoken in this region. It is also distinct from Alor Malay, a Malay variety which is currently supplanting Alorese as the language of wider communication in the region. Alorese is the native language of several immigrant communities located along the coast of the Alor archipelago, especially at Alor Kecil on Alor and at Baranusa and Marica on Pantar. It has also been used extensively as a trade language in the region.

Kui is a Timor–Alor–Pantar language spoken in several enclaves on Alor Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The language is called 'Masin lak' in Kui. Although the exact number of speakers is unknown, Kui is an endangered language since speakers are shifting to Alor Malay.

Wersing language

The Wersing language, also known as Kolana after its primary dialect, is spoken in scattered settlements around the coast of Alor in Indonesia. Due to this settlement pattern, Wersing speakers are in contact with Abui and Kamang speakers and often have some competence in these languages. Though not closely related, it has cultural connections with Tukudede on the neighboring island of Timor.

Blagar language Language in Indonesia

Blagar is a Papuan language of Pantar island in the Alor archipelago of Indonesia. The Tereweng dialect spoken on Treweng Island off the southeast coast of Pantar is sometimes considered a separate language.

Teiwa is a Papuan language spoken on the Pantar island in eastern Indonesia. The island is the second largest in the Alor archipelago, lying just west of the largest island Alor.

Kelon, or Klon, is a Papuan language of the western tip of Alor Island in the Alor archipelago of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Lamaholot, also known as Solor or Solorese, is a Central Malayo-Polynesian dialect cluster of Flores, Indonesia. The varieties may not be all mutually intelligible; Keraf (1978) reports that there are 18 languages under the name.

Rongga is a language of central Flores, in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Rongga is closely related to Ngadha, and more distantly to Manggarai.

Marian Klamer is a linguist who specializes in Austronesian and Papuan languages. Her interests include the documentation of minority languages, Malay language varieties, linguistic typology, historical linguistics, and language contact.

References

  1. "The Alor-Pantar languages".
  2. Klamer, Marian (2014). "Kaera". In Schapper, Antoinette (ed.). The Papuan Languages of Timor, Alor and Pantar: Volume 1: Sketch Grammars. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 97–146.