Makassar language
Encyclopedia
Makassarese is a language
used by the Makassarese people in South Sulawesi
island (Celebes) in Indonesia
. It is a member of the Austronesian language family
of the South Sulawesi group
, and thus closely related to, among others, Buginese
.
Although Makassarese is now often written with the Roman alphabet, it is still widely written in its own distinctive script, also called Lontara
, which once was used also to write important documents in Bugis
and Mandar
, two related language from Sulawesi
.
The Makassar symbols are written using mostly straight oblique lines and dots. In spite of its quite distinctive appearance, it is derived from the ancient Brahmi
scripts of India
. Like other descendants of that script, each consonant has an inherent vowel "a", which is not marked. Other vowels can be indicated by adding one of five diacritic
s above, below, or on either side of each consonant.
Some common words/phrases in the Makassar language using the Roman alphabet are as follows ( ' = glottal stop
):
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
used by the Makassarese people in South Sulawesi
South Sulawesi
South Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia, located on the western southern peninsula of Sulawesi Island. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi province to the north, South East Sulawesi province to the east and West Sulawesi province to the west...
island (Celebes) in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It is a member of the Austronesian language family
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
of the South Sulawesi group
South Sulawesi languages
The South Sulawesi languages are a group of languages spoken by the Bugis and related peoples of South Sulawesi province, Indonesia.-Languages:*Bugis**Buginese: Buginese, Campalagian**? Tamanic: Mbalo, Taman...
, and thus closely related to, among others, Buginese
Buginese language
Buginese is the language spoken by about four million people mainly in the southern part of Sulawesi, Indonesia.-History:The word Buginese derives from the word Bahasa Bugis in Malay. In Buginese, it is called while the Bugis people are called...
.
Although Makassarese is now often written with the Roman alphabet, it is still widely written in its own distinctive script, also called Lontara
Lontara
Lontara or lontaraq are Bugis palm-leaf manuscripts that record knowledge on such topics as history, science, custom, and laws. The term originates from the Javanese/Malay word lontar, which is the type of tree that provides the leaves used....
, which once was used also to write important documents in Bugis
Buginese language
Buginese is the language spoken by about four million people mainly in the southern part of Sulawesi, Indonesia.-History:The word Buginese derives from the word Bahasa Bugis in Malay. In Buginese, it is called while the Bugis people are called...
and Mandar
Mandar language
Mandar is an Austronesian language spoken by the group ethnic Mandar living in West Sulawesi province, Indonesia, especially in the sea side regencies like - Majene and Polewali-Mandar as well as few settlements in the islands of Pangkep District also known as Spermonde Archipelago and Ujung Lero,...
, two related language from Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
.
The Makassar symbols are written using mostly straight oblique lines and dots. In spite of its quite distinctive appearance, it is derived from the ancient Brahmi
Brāhmī script
Brāhmī is the modern name given to the oldest members of the Brahmic family of scripts. The best-known Brāhmī inscriptions are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka in north-central India, dated to the 3rd century BCE. These are traditionally considered to be early known examples of Brāhmī writing...
scripts of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Like other descendants of that script, each consonant has an inherent vowel "a", which is not marked. Other vowels can be indicated by adding one of five diacritic
Diacritic
A diacritic is a glyph added to a letter, or basic glyph. The term derives from the Greek διακριτικός . Diacritic is both an adjective and a noun, whereas diacritical is only an adjective. Some diacritical marks, such as the acute and grave are often called accents...
s above, below, or on either side of each consonant.
Some common words/phrases in the Makassar language using the Roman alphabet are as follows ( ' = glottal stop
Glottal stop (letter)
The symbol ⟨⟩ is a letter of the Latin alphabet, used to represent a glottal stop in several phonetic transcription schemes, as well as in the alphabets of some languages...
):
| Lontara script Lontara script The Lontara script is some sort of moon speak traditionally used for the Bugis language, Makassarese language, and Mandar languages of Sulawesi in modern Indonesia. It is also known as the Buginese script. It was largely replaced by the Latin alphabet during the period of Dutch colonization... |
Latinized | Indonesian | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ᨅᨒ | balla' | rumah | house |
| ᨅᨚᨒᨚ | bulu | bulu | hair/fur |
| ᨅᨅ | bambang | panas | hot/warm |
| ᨌᨗᨄᨘᨑᨘ | cipuru' | lapar | hungry |
| ᨉᨚ ᨙᨕ | doe' | uang | money |
| ᨕᨗᨐᨚ | iyo' | iya | yes |
| ᨒᨚᨄᨚ | lompo | besar | big/large |
| ᨔᨒᨚ | sallo | lama / lambat | slow |
| ᨈ ᨙᨙᨅ | tabe' | permisi | excuse me |
| ᨙᨈᨊ | tena | tidak | no |
| ᨀᨑ ᨙᨕ | karaeng | raja | king |
| ᨕᨄ ᨀ ᨙᨑᨅ? | apa kare'ba? | apa kabar | how are you? |
| ᨒ ᨙᨀᨀᨚ ᨆ ᨙᨕ? | lakeko mae? | kamu mau ke mana? | where are you going? |
| ᨅᨒ | ballang | belang | get tanned |
| ᨅᨚᨈᨚ | botto' | bau | smelly |
| ᨑᨈᨔ | rantasa' | jorok | disgusting |
| ᨅᨈᨒ | battala' | gemuk | fatty |
| ᨅᨗᨒ | bella' | jauh | far away |
| ᨙᨁ ᨙᨒ ᨙᨁ ᨙᨒ | gele-gele | geli | tickle |
| ᨀᨚᨀᨚ | kong-kong | anjing | dog |
| ᨍᨑ | jarang | kuda | horse |
| ᨙᨅ ᨙᨅ | bembe' | kambing | goat |
| ᨆᨚ ᨙᨈ ᨙᨑ | motere' | pulang ke rumah | return home |
| ᨂ ᨙᨑ | nganre' | makan | eat |