Kenyah languages

The Kenyah languages are a group of half a dozen or so closely related languages spoken by the Kenyah peoples of Borneo. They are:

Kenyah proper (a dialect cluster, incl. Madang), Sebob, Tutoh (Long Wat), Wahau Kenyah, Uma’ Lung / Uma’ Lasan.
Not to be confused with Languages of Kenya.
Kenyah
Geographic
distribution		Borneo
Linguistic classificationAustronesian
Glottologkaya1332  (partial match)

Ethnologue says that the Punan–Nibong languages are related to Uma’ Lasan, Glottolog that they are outside the Kenyah languages.

Classification

Soriente (2008) proposes a Kayan-Kenyah grouping.[1]

However, Smith (2015) rejects Soriente's grouping, and argues that Kenyah and Kayan are separate groups. Smith (2015) proposes the following classification.[2]

  • Proto-Kenyah
    • Highland
      • Highland A dialects: Lepoʼ Gah, Lepoʼ Sawa, Lepoʼ Laang, Lepoʼ Baha, Lepoʼ Maʼut, Lepoʼ Ké, Bakung, Lepoʼ Ndang
      • Highland B dialects: Lepoʼ Tau, Badeng, Umaʼ Lasan, Umaʼ Alim, Òma Lóngh
    • Lowland
      • Western Lowland dialects: Lebo' Vo'
      • Eastern Lowland dialects: Lebuʼ Kulit, Lebuq Timai, Umaʼ Pawa, Umaʼ Ujok, Umaʼ Kelap/Kelep
    • Penan-Sebop

This classification of Kenyah languages was updated in a second publication, "Penan, Sebop, and Kenyah internal classification". There, it was shown that Penan and Sebop subgroup specifically with the Western-Lowland branch of Lowland Kenyah. This subgrouping was repeated in the dissertation, "The languages of Borneo: a comprehensive classification".

  • Proto-Kenyah
    • Highland
      • Highland A dialects: Lepoʼ Gah, Lepoʼ Sawa, Lepoʼ Laang, Lepoʼ Baha, Lepoʼ Maʼut, Lepoʼ Ké, Bakung, Lepoʼ Ndang
      • Highland B dialects: Lepoʼ Tau, Badeng, Umaʼ Lasan, Umaʼ Alim, Òma Lóngh
    • Lowland
      • Western Lowland dialects: Lebo' Vo', Eastern Penan, Western Penan, Sebop
      • Eastern Lowland dialects: Lebuʼ Kulit, Lebuq Timai, Umaʼ Pawa, Umaʼ Ujok, Umaʼ Kelap/Kelep

Austroasiatic influence

Kaufman (2018) notes that many Proto-Kenyah words (Smith 2017) are of likely Austroasiatic origin, including the following (Note: The Austroasiatic branch reconstructions are from Paul Sidwell's reconstructions).[3]

  • *saləŋ ‘black’ (cf. Proto-Palaungic *laŋ; Proto-Bahnaric *sla(ː)ŋ ‘clear, transparent’)
  • *makaŋ ‘brave’
  • *dəŋ ‘deaf’ (cf. Proto-Katuic *tuŋ; Mon daŋ)
  • *pətat ‘divorce’ (cf. Mon tɛt)
  • *naʔ ‘give’ (cf. Proto-South-Bahnaric *ʔaːn; Khmu ʔan)
  • *biləŋ ‘green’
  • *mə-bʰuh ‘help, assist’
  • *laʔu ‘hungry’
  • *adaŋ ‘must’
  • *iəŋ ‘mosquito’
  • *kabiŋ ‘left (side)’
  • *pilaw ‘smooth’ (cf. Proto-Katuic *phiil)
  • *biʔən ‘time’ (cf. Proto-Palaungic *bən ‘(future) time’)
  • *nəmbam ‘tomorrow’
  • *ait ‘sand’
  • *luaŋ ‘seed’
  • *su ‘grandchild’ (cf. Proto-Palaungic *cuʔ)

Vo words of likely Austroasiatic origin include:

  • ɟen ‘bring’
  • pikəp ‘narrow’
  • mamoŋ ‘pregnant’
  • imaʔ ‘rain’ (cf. Proto-Austroasiatic *gmaʔ)
  • lañaʔ ‘fast/quick’ (cf. Proto-Vietic *m-laɲ; Proto-North-Bahnaric *raɲ)
  • məɲon ‘sit’ (cf. Proto-Palaungic *-ɟɔn)
  • ʄap ‘ten’ (cf. Khmer dɑp < Chinese?)
  • sah ‘seed’ (cf. Proto-Palaungic *ʄak)

References
  1. Soriente, Antonia. 1997. The classification of Kenyah languages: A preliminary assessment. In SEALS XIV(2): Papers from the 14th meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (2004), ed. by Wilaiwan Khanittana and Paul Sidwell, 49–62. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
  2. Smith, Alexander D. "On the Classification of Kenyah and Kayanic Languages." In Oceanic Linguistics, Volume 54, Number 2, December 2015, pp. 333-357.
  3. Kaufman, Daniel. 2018. Between mainland and island Southeast Asia: Evidence for a Mon-Khmer presence in Borneo. Ronald and Janette Gatty Lecture Series. Kahin Center for Advanced Research on Southeast Asia, Cornell University. (handout / slides)
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