Rejang language

Last updated

Rejang
Baso Hejang
Baso Jang
ꤽꥍꤺꥏ
Native to Indonesia
Region [1]
Ethnicity Rejang people
Native speakers
350,000 (2000 census) [2]
Dialects
  • Lebong
  • Curup
  • Kepahiang
  • Utara
Latin (present)
Rejang script (historically)
Language codes
ISO 639-3 rej
Glottolog reja1240
Rejang language.jpg

Rejang (baso Jang, baso Hejang[ citation needed ]) is an Austronesian language predominantly spoken by the Rejang people in southwestern parts of Sumatra (Bengkulu), Indonesia. There are five dialects, spread from mountainous region to the coastal region of Bengkulu, including the Musi (Musai) dialect, the Lebong dialect, the Kebanagung dialect, the Rawas (Awes) dialect, and the Pesisir dialect.

Contents

Classification

Rejang is not obviously close to other Malayo-Polynesian languages in Sumatra. McGinn (2009) classified it among the Bidayuh languages of Borneo, closest to Bukar–Sadong. According to the source, these languages shared raising of *a to word-finally, or in final syllables except those ending in velar consonants *k, . [3] It may be that it is related to the newly described language Nasal, but that is speculative at this point. [4] Robert Blust and Alexander Smith classified Rejang as part of Greater North Borneo languages (2017a, 2017b). [5] [6] [7]

Dialects

Rejang has five different dialects. Speakers of each dialects are able to communicate with one another, in spite of lexical and phonological differences. The four dialects of Rejangs are Curup, Lebong, Kepahiang, and Utara. Among all dialects, Awes dialect is the hardest for the speakers of other dialects. [ citation needed ]

Writing system

Rejang was written with the Rejang script for a long time. [8] The script is thought to predate the introduction of Islam to the area in the 12th century CE, although the earliest attested document has been dated to the mid-18th century. It is traditionally written on bamboo, buffalo horn, bark or copper plates. It was only recently[ when? ] that the Latin alphabet was introduced as a way of writing the language.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless p t k ʔ
voiced b d ɡ
Fricative s h
Trill ( r )
Lateral l
Approximant w j

A trill /r/ is also present, but only in loanwords. [9]

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e ə o
Open a

Vocabulary

Astronomical terms

EnglishLebong DialectCurup DialectKepahiang DialectUtara Dialect
earthbumai
dênio
dunio
bumêi
dênio
dunio
bumêi
dênio
dunio
bumai
dênio
dunio
starbitangbitangbitangbitang
moonbulênbulênbulênbulên
sunmataibilaimatêibilêimatêibilêi
matoibiloi
mataibilai
cloudawênawênawênawên
skylengetlengetlengetlenget

Gender

EnglishLebong DialectCurup DialectKepahiang DialectUtara Dialect
femaleslawêibia, sêbia,
bie, sêbie,
slawie
bêaslawêi
malesmanêisêbong,
smanie
smanêismanêi
third gender tayuktayuktayuktayuk

Colour

EnglishLebong DialectCurup DialectKepahiang DialectUtara Dialect
redmiləakmiləakabangmiləak
whiteputiakputeakputeahputeak
blackməluomələumələaməluo
greenijoijoijoijo
bluebiru/blu/blaubiru/blu/bləubiru/blu/bləubiru/blu/blau
greyabu-abu/abauabu-abu/abəuabu-abu/abəuabu-abu/abəu
orangejinggajinggajinggajingga
violetungauungəuungəuungau
brownperangperangperangcoklat
pinkmiləak mudo/miləak jamaumiləak mudo/miləak jaməumiləah mudo/miləak jaməuabang mude/miləak jamau
silverpirokpirakpirakpirak
maroonmiləak atiemiləak atəiabang atəeimiləak atəi

Pronouns

EnglishLebong DialectCurup DialectKepahiang DialectUtara Dialect
Iuku
ku
uku
ku
uku
u
uku,
ku
youkumu (honour, formal)
ko (common)
kumu (honour, formal)
ko (common)
kokumu (honour, formal)
ko (common)
weitêitêitêitê
theytobo'otobo'otobohotobo'o
he/shesisisisi

Numbers

NumeralEnglishLebong DialectCurup DialectKepahiang DialectUtara Dialect
0zerokosongnolnolnol
1onedo (sometimes dəlai)do (sometimes dəlai)do (sometimes dikup)do (sometimes dəlai)
2twoduaiduəiduiduəi
3threetəlautələutələutəlau
4fourəpat, patəpat, patəpat, patəpat, pat
5fiveləmoləmoləmoləmo
6sixnumnumnumnum
7seventujuaktojoaktojoahtojoak
8eightdəlapəndəlapəndəlapəndəlapən
9ninesemilansemilansemilansemilan
10tendəpuluakdəpoloakdəpoloahdəpoloak
11elevensəblassəblassəblassəblas
12twelveduai bəlasduəi bəlasdui bəlasduəi balas
13thirteentəlau bəlastələu bəlastələu bəlastəlau bəlas
19nineteenseilan bəlassemilan bəlassemilan bəlassemilan bəlas
20twentyduai puluakduəi poloakdui poloahduəi poloak
21twenty-oneduai puluak satuduəi poloak satudui poloah satuduəi poloak do
50fiftyləmo puluakləmo poloakləmo poloahləmo poloak
100one hundredsotossotossotossotos
200two hundredduai otosduəi otosdui otosduəi otos
1000one thousandsəribausəribeusəribeusəribau
10,000ten thousanddəpuluak ribaudəpoloak ribəudəpoloah ribəudəpoloak ribau
100,000one hundred thousandsotos ribausotos ribəusotos ribəusotos ribau
1,000,000one milliondəjutadəjutadəjutadəjuta

Days of the week

EnglishLebong DialectCurup DialectKepahiang DialectUtara Dialect
Mondaysəninsəninsəninsənin
Tuesdaysəlasasəlasasəlasasəlasa
Wednesdayrabau/rabu/rəbaurabəu/rabu/rəbəurabəu/rabu/rəbəurebaa/rəbu/rəbəu
Thursdaykəmiskəmiskəmiskəmis
Fridayjəm'at/jum'atjəma'at/jum'atjəmahat/jum'atjəm'at/jum'at
Saturdaysabtau/səbtau/səbtusabtəuseteusabtau/səbtau
Sundaymingaumingəumingəumingəu

Prepositions

Place

EnglishLebong DialectCurup DialectKepahiang DialectUtara Dialect
behindbêlakang
kədong
bêlakang
kêdong
bêlakang
kêdong
bêlakang
kêdong
besidedêpêak
pêak
dêpêak
pêak
dêpêah
pêah
saping
dêpêak
pêak
abovedasdasdasdas
in front ofmukomukoadepmuko
outsideluêaluêaluêhluêa
insidelêmlêmlêmlêm
corneridingidingidingiding
underbêakbêakbêahbêak
betweenantaroantaroantaroantaro

Basic elements

EnglishLebong DialectCurup DialectKepahiang DialectUtara Dialect
windanginanginanginangin
waterbioabioabioabioa
landtanêaktanêaktanəahtanəak
soilpitokpitakpitakpitak
airudaroudaroudaroudaro
fireopoiopoiopoeopoi

Sample text

The following is a sample text in Rejang, of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (by the United Nations):

Kutê tun laher mêrdeka, tmuan hok-hok gik srai. Kutê nagiak-ba akêa peker ngen atêi, kêrno o kêlok-nê bêkuat-ba do ngen luyên lêm asai sêpasuak.

Gloss (word-to-word):

Article 1 – All human was born independent, has an equal rights. They are endowed a way to think and heart; then they need to be friend[ clarification needed ] each other in the taste of brotherhood.

Translation (grammatical):

Article 1 – All human beings are born free and equal in rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Notes

  1. Saputri, Nur Rahmah (2014). Analisis hukum Islam terhadap Adat Bemaling Suku Rejang di Kabupaten Rejang Lebong Bengkulu (PDF) (Undergraduate thesis). UIN Surabaya. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  2. Rejang at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. McGinn, Richard (2009). "24. Out-of-Borneo subgrouping hypothesis for Rejang: re-weighing the evidence" (PDF). In Adelaar, Alexander; Pawley, Andre (eds.). Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift for Bob Blust. Pacific Linguistics. pp. 397–410. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  4. "Request for New Language Code Element in ISO 639-3" (PDF), ISO 639-3 Registration Authority
  5. Blust 2010, pp. 44, 47.
  6. Smith 2017a, p. 346–364.
  7. Smith 2017b, p. 459–460.
  8. Rejang (Redjang, Kaganga), ScriptSource (developed and maintained by SIL International), retrieved 30 May 2019
  9. Aichele, W. (1984). A Fragmentary Sketch of the Rejang Language. Materials for a Rejang-Indonesian-English dictionary (Pacific Linguistics: Series D, 58.): Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

Bibliography

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