Semai | |
---|---|
engrok Semai | |
Native to | Peninsular Malaysia |
Ethnicity | 42,400 Semai people (2008)[1] |
Native speakers | 10,000 (2007)[1] |
Latin | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | sea |
Glottolog | sema1266 |
ELP | Semai |
Semai (engrok Semai) is a Austroasiatic language of western Malaysia spoken by about 44,000 Semai people. It is one of the few Aslian language which is not endangered, and even has 2,000 monolingual speakers.
One notable aspect of Semai phonology is its highly irregular pattern of expressive reduplication, showing discontiguous copying from just the edges of the reduplicant's base, thus forming a minor syllable.
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i iː | ɨ ɨː | u uː |
Close-mid | e eː | o oː | |
Open-mid | ɛ ɛː | ə | ɔ ɔː |
Open | ɑ ɑː |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | ĩ ĩː | ɨ̃ ɨ̃ː | ũ ũː |
Mid | ɛ̃ ɛ̃ː | ə̃ | ɔ̃ ɔ̃ː |
Open | ɑ̃ ɑ̃ː |
Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | voiceless | p | t | c | k | ʔ |
voiced | b | d | ɟ | ɡ | ||
Nasal | voiced | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
preploded | ᵇm | ᵈn | ɟɲ | ᶢŋ | ||
Fricative | s | h | ||||
Rhotic | ɾ~r | |||||
Lateral | l | |||||
Approximant | w | j |
Examples of words in Semai include the following:
English | Semai | Malay |
---|---|---|
I | Eng | Saya |
Eat | Cak | Makan |
Drink | Ngaut | Minum |
Bathe | Mehmu | Mandi |
Clean | Parlain | Bersih |
Good | Bor | Bagus |
Chicken | Bafung/Fung | Ayam |
Rice | Cengroy | Beras |
Mushroom | Cenai | Cendawan |
Why | Jalek | Kenapa |
How | Rahalook | Bagaimana |