Malayo-Sumbawan languages
Encyclopedia
The Malayo-Sumbawan languages are a group of languages identified by Adelaar (cit. Adelaar & Himmelmann 2005) that unites the Malayic and Chamic languages with the languages of Java
and the western Lesser Sunda Islands
, except for Javanese
itself. If valid, it would be the largest demonstrated family of Malayo-Polynesian outside Oceanic.
There are Javanese similarities with Balinese and Sasak of the Lesser Sundas, which several classifications have taken as evidence for a relationship between them. However, the similarities are with the "high" registers
(formal language/royal speech) of Balinese and Sasak; when the "low" register (commoner speech) is considered, the connection appears instead to be with Madurese and Malay. This is somewhat similar to the situation with English, where more 'refined' vocabulary suggests a connection with French, but basic language demonstrates its relationship to German.
Note: BSS = "Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa"
Javanese is specifically excluded; the connections between Javanese and Bali–Sasak are restricted to the 'high' register
, and disappear when the 'low' register is taken as representative of the languages.
that were considered: Lampungic
, Rejang
, and the various branches of Northwest Sumatran
excluding the Northern Barrier Islands (Nias
etc.).
The languages supported by the 2008 study, including the confidence level for each grouping, are as follows:
Chamic–Sumbawan (60%)
(The Enggano
and Mentawai
languages of Sumatra were not considered.) The difficulty in establishing Malayo-Sumbawan may be due to the fact that lexical similarities are often due to a Sprachbund
rather than a genealogical connection.
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and the western Lesser Sunda Islands
Lesser Sunda Islands
The Lesser Sunda Islands or Nusa Tenggara are a group of islands in the southern Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up the Sunda Islands...
, except for Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
itself. If valid, it would be the largest demonstrated family of Malayo-Polynesian outside Oceanic.
There are Javanese similarities with Balinese and Sasak of the Lesser Sundas, which several classifications have taken as evidence for a relationship between them. However, the similarities are with the "high" registers
Register (sociolinguistics)
In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal...
(formal language/royal speech) of Balinese and Sasak; when the "low" register (commoner speech) is considered, the connection appears instead to be with Madurese and Malay. This is somewhat similar to the situation with English, where more 'refined' vocabulary suggests a connection with French, but basic language demonstrates its relationship to German.
Adelaar (2005)
According to Adelaar (2005), the composition of the family is as follows:Note: BSS = "Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa"
- Malayo-Sumbawan
- SundaneseSundanese languageSundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
(1 or 2 languages of western Java; incl. Baduy) - MadureseMadurese languageMadurese is a language of the Madurese people of Madura Island and eastern Java, Indonesia; it is also spoken on the neighbouring small Kangean Islands and Sapudi Islands, as well as from migrants to other parts of Indonesia, namely the Tapal Kuda area comprising Pasuruan, Surabaya, Malang until...
(2 languages of eastern Java and MaduraMaduraMadura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately 4,250 km². Madura is administered as part of the East Java province. It is separated from Java by the narrow Strait of Madura.-History:...
; incl. KangeanKangean languageKangean is a language spoken in Indonesia, in the Kangean Islands which lie to the east of Madura Island. It is barely intelligible with Madurese proper....
) - Malayo-Chamic–BSS
- Aceh–Chamic (a dozen languages, including AcehneseAcehnese languageAcehnese or Aceh is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by Acehnese people natively in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia...
in AcehAcehAceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
and ChamCham languageCham is the language of the Cham people of Southeast Asia, and formerly the language of the kingdom of Champa in central Vietnam. A member of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian family, it is spoken by 100,000 people in Vietnam and up to 220,000 people in Cambodia . There are also...
in VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) - MalayicMalayic languagesThe Malayic languages are a branch of the Sunda–Sulawesi languages of the Austronesian family. They include Malay, the national language of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei; Minangkabau in central Sumatra; and Iban in northern Borneo....
(a dozen languages dispersed from either western Borneo or central Sumatra, including MalayMalay languageMalay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
(Malaysian/Indonesian), MinangkabauMinangkabau languageThe Minangkabau language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, the western part of Riau, South Aceh Regency, the northern part of Bengkulu and Jambi, also in several cities throughout Indonesia by migrated Minangkabau, who often trade or have a restaurant...
in central Sumatra, and IbanIban languageThe Iban language is spoken by the Iban, a branch of the Dayak ethnic group formerly known as "Sea Dayak" who live in Sarawak, the Indonesian province of Kalimantan Barat and in Brunei. It belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, and is related to Malay, more...
of western BorneoBorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
) - Bali–Sasak–Sumbawa (3 languages)
- Aceh–Chamic (a dozen languages, including Acehnese
Javanese is specifically excluded; the connections between Javanese and Bali–Sasak are restricted to the 'high' register
Register (sociolinguistics)
In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal...
, and disappear when the 'low' register is taken as representative of the languages.
Gray, et. al. (2008)
A 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database found moderate to poor lexical support for Malayo-Sumbawan: a 60% confidence level with Chamic, rising to 75% without Chamic but keeping Bali–Sasak, and 85% without either Chamic or Bali–Sasak. However, the resulting family is broader than Andelaar's proposal, including not just Moklen and Javanese but nearly all of the languages of the Greater Sunda IslandsGreater Sunda Islands
The Greater Sunda Islands are a group of large islands within the Malay archipelago. Jawa , smallest but by far the most populous and important; Sumatera in the west, directly across the Strait of Malacca from Malaysia; Kalimantan, the Indonesian sector of large, compact, minicontinent Borneo; and...
that were considered: Lampungic
Lampungic languages
The Lampungic languages are a pair of dialect clusters at the southern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They are:-External links:*...
, Rejang
Rejang language
Rejang is spoken by the Rejang people in Bengkulu, Indonesia. It is a Malayo-Polynesian language but has not been further classified. It has five major dialects...
, and the various branches of Northwest Sumatran
Northwest Sumatran languages
The Northwest Sumatran languages are a putative group of languages spoken by the Batak and related peoples in the interior of northern Sumatra, and by the Nias, Mentawai, etc. on the barrier islands off the western coast of Sumatra.-Classification:The languages normally included in North Sumatran...
excluding the Northern Barrier Islands (Nias
Nias language
The Nias language is an Austronesian language spoken on Nias Island and the Batu Islands off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. It belongs to the Northwest Sumatran subgroup which also includes Mentawai and the Batak languages. It had about 770,000 speakers in 2000...
etc.).
The languages supported by the 2008 study, including the confidence level for each grouping, are as follows:
Chamic–Sumbawan (60%)
- Moklen–Chamic (70%)
- MoklenMoklen languagesThe Moklen languages are a pair of closely related languages spoken by the Moklen, of coastal Thailand, and the Moken "Sea Gypsies" off the coast of Burma. They are somewhat divergent from other Austronesian languages.-References:...
- Aceh–Chamic
- Moklen
- Bali–Malayic (75%)
- Bali–Sasak
- Batak–Malayic (85%)
- BatakBatak languagesThe Batak languages are spoken by Batak and Alas people of North Sumatra, Indonesia.Historically they were written using Batak script but the Latin alphabet is now used for most writing....
- Java–Malayic (75%)
- GayoGayo languageGayo Language is the spoken language of about 180,000 people in the mountain region of North Sumatra around Takengon, Gayo Lues, Bener Meriah, Southeast Aceh, Genteng, and Lokop. It is classified as belonging to the Western Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian languages, but is not closely...
- RejangRejang languageRejang is spoken by the Rejang people in Bengkulu, Indonesia. It is a Malayo-Polynesian language but has not been further classified. It has five major dialects...
- LampungicLampungic languagesThe Lampungic languages are a pair of dialect clusters at the southern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They are:-External links:*...
- JavaneseJavanese languageJavanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
- Sunda–Malayic (70%)
- Sunda–Madurese (75%)
- SundaneseSundanese languageSundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
- MadureseMadurese languageMadurese is a language of the Madurese people of Madura Island and eastern Java, Indonesia; it is also spoken on the neighbouring small Kangean Islands and Sapudi Islands, as well as from migrants to other parts of Indonesia, namely the Tapal Kuda area comprising Pasuruan, Surabaya, Malang until...
- Sundanese
- Banjar–Malayic (80%)
- BanjarBanjar languageBanjar language is the native language used by the Banjarese people of South Kalimantan, Indonesia. As many Banjarese are travelling merchants, they brought their language wherever they went all over Indonesia, even all over the world....
- MalayicMalayic languagesThe Malayic languages are a branch of the Sunda–Sulawesi languages of the Austronesian family. They include Malay, the national language of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei; Minangkabau in central Sumatra; and Iban in northern Borneo....
proper (100%)
- Banjar
- Sunda–Madurese (75%)
- Gayo
- Batak
(The Enggano
Enggano language
The Enggano language, or Engganese, is the language of Enggano Island off the southwestern coast of Sumatra.Although adjacent to Austronesian languages, Enggano has not been established as Austronesian; it may instead be a language isolate with Austronesian borrowing. Much of the basic vocabulary...
and Mentawai
Mentawai language
The Mentawai language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Mentawai-people of the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra. The dialects of the language include: – Silabu, Sipura – Simalegi, Sakalagan, Saumanganja – North Siberut, South Siberut – Taikaku – Pagai....
languages of Sumatra were not considered.) The difficulty in establishing Malayo-Sumbawan may be due to the fact that lexical similarities are often due to a Sprachbund
Sprachbund
A Sprachbund – also known as a linguistic area, convergence area, diffusion area or language crossroads – is a group of languages that have become similar in some way because of geographical proximity and language contact. They may be genetically unrelated, or only distantly related...
rather than a genealogical connection.