Mainstream Kenyah language

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Kenyah
Lepo’
Bakung
Native toIndonesia, Malaysia
RegionBorneo
EthnicityKenyah
Native speakers
50,000 (2007–2013)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3xkl
Glottologmain1275

Mainstream Kenyah, also known as Usun Apau and Bakung, is a Kenyah dialect cluster of North Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia. Dialects fall into four clusters:

  • Lepo’ Tau, Lepo’ Bem, Uma’ Jalan, Uma’ Tukung[2]
  • Lepo’ Ke, Lepo’ Kuda
  • Lepo’ Maut, Lepo’ Ndang, Badeng (Madang)[3]
  • Bakung, Lepo’ Tepu’ (Lepo Teppu’).

Phonology[edit]

Consonants[edit]

Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless p t͡ʃ k ʔ
voiced b d d͡ʒ g
Fricative s
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Trill r
Approximant w l j
  • Sounds /p, t̪/ can also occur as geminated [pː,  t̪ː] or as unreleased in word-final [p̚, t̪̚].

Vowels[edit]

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid ɛ ə ɔ
Open a
  • /i/ can also occur as lax [ɪ].
  • Sounds /a, u/ can also be heard as long [aː, uː].[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kenyah at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ also Lepo Jengan, Lepo Aga, Uma Ake, Lepo Ga, Lepo La’ang, Sambup, and Likan
  3. ^ also Lepo Jamok
  4. ^ Asih, Yuni Utami (2017). Inventory of Kenyah Lepo Tau Segmental Sounds.

External links[edit]