Rejang language
Rejang (baso Jang, baso Hejang) is an Austronesian language predominantly spoken by the Rejang people in southwestern parts of Sumatra (Bengkulu), Indonesia. There are five dialects, spread from mountainous region to the coastal region of Bengkulu, including the Musi (Musai) dialect, the Lebong dialect, the Kebanagung dialect, the Rawas (Awes) dialect, and the Pesisir dialect.
Rejang | |
---|---|
Baso Hejang Baso Jang ꤽꥍꤺꥏ | |
Native to | Indonesia |
Region | [1] |
Ethnicity | Rejang people |
Native speakers | 350,000 (2000 census)[2] |
Dialects |
|
Latin (present) Rejang script (historically) | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | rej |
Glottolog | reja1240 |
Classification
Rejang is not obviously close to other Malayo-Polynesian languages in Sumatra. McGinn (2009) classified it among the Bidayuh languages of Borneo, closest to Bukar–Sadong.[3] It may be that it is related to the newly described language Nasal, but that is speculative at this point.[4] Robert Blust and Alexander Smith classified Rejang as part of Greater North Borneo languages (2017a, 2017b).[5][6][7]
Dialects
Rejang has five different dialects. Speakers of each dialects are able to communicate with one another, in spite of lexical and phonological differences. The four dialects of Rejangs are Curup, Lebong, Kepahiang, and Utara. Among all dialects, Awes dialect is the hardest for the speakers of other dialects.
Writing system
Rejang was written with the Rejang script for a long time.[8] The script is thought to predate the introduction of Islam to the area in the 12th century CE, although the earliest attested document has been dated to the mid-18th century. It is traditionally written on bamboo, buffalo horn, bark or copper plates. It was only recently that the Latin alphabet was introduced as a way of writing the language.
Phonology
Vocabulary
Astronomical terms
English | Lebong Dialect | Curup Dialect | Kepahiang Dialect | Utara Dialect |
---|---|---|---|---|
earth | bumai dênio dunio | bumêi dênio dunio | bumêi dênio dunio | bumai dênio dunio |
star | bitang | bitang | bitang | bitang |
moon | bulên | bulên | bulên | bulên |
sun | mataibilai | matêibilêi | matêibilêi matoibiloi | mataibilai |
cloud | awên | awên | awên | awên |
sky | lenget | lenget | lenget | lenget |
Gender
English | Lebong Dialect | Curup Dialect | Kepahiang Dialect | Utara Dialect |
---|---|---|---|---|
female | slawêi | bia, sêbia, bie, sêbie, slawie | bêa | slawêi |
male | smanêi | sêbong, smanie | smanêi | smanêi |
third gender | tayuk | tayuk | tayuk | tayuk |
Colour
English | Lebong Dialect | Curup Dialect | Kepahiang Dialect | Utara Dialect |
---|---|---|---|---|
red | miləak | miləak | abang | miləak |
white | putiak | puteak | puteah | puteak |
black | məluo | mələu | mələa | məluo |
green | ijo | ijo | ijo | ijo |
blue | biru/blu/blau | biru/blu/bləu | biru/blu/bləu | biru/blu/blau |
grey | abu-abu/abau | abu-abu/abəu | abu-abu/abəu | abu-abu/abəu |
orange | jingga | jingga | jingga | jingga |
violet | ungau | ungəu | ungəu | ungau |
brown | perang | perang | perang | coklat |
pink | miləak mudo/miləak jamau | miləak mudo/miləak jaməu | miləah mudo/miləak jaməu | abang mude/miləak jamau |
silver | pirok | pirak | pirak | pirak |
maroon | miləak atie | miləak atəi | abang atəei | miləak atəi |
Pronouns
English | Lebong Dialect | Curup Dialect | Kepahiang Dialect | Utara Dialect |
---|---|---|---|---|
I | uku ku | uku ku | uku u | uku, ku |
you | kumu (honour, formal) ko (common) | kumu (honour, formal) ko (common) | ko | kumu (honour, formal) ko (common) |
we | itê | itê | itê | itê |
they | tobo'o | tobo'o | toboho | tobo'o |
he/she | si | si | si | si |
Numbers
Numeral | English | Lebong Dialect | Curup Dialect | Kepahiang Dialect | Utara Dialect |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | zero | kosong | nol | nol | nol |
1 | one | do (sometimes dəlai) | do (sometimes dəlai) | do (sometimes dikup) | do (sometimes dəlai) |
2 | two | duai | duəi | dui | duəi |
3 | three | təlau | tələu | tələu | təlau |
4 | four | əpat, pat | əpat, pat | əpat, pat | əpat, pat |
5 | five | ləmo | ləmo | ləmo | ləmo |
6 | six | num | num | num | num |
7 | seven | tujuak | tojoak | tojoah | tojoak |
8 | eight | dəlapən | dəlapən | dəlapən | dəlapən |
9 | nine | semilan | semilan | semilan | semilan |
10 | ten | dəpuluak | dəpoloak | dəpoloah | dəpoloak |
11 | eleven | səblas | səblas | səblas | səblas |
12 | twelve | duai bəlas | duəi bəlas | dui bəlas | duəi balas |
13 | thirteen | təlau bəlas | tələu bəlas | tələu bəlas | təlau bəlas |
19 | nineteen | seilan bəlas | semilan bəlas | semilan bəlas | semilan bəlas |
20 | twenty | duai puluak | duəi poloak | dui poloah | duəi poloak |
21 | twenty-one | duai puluak satu | duəi poloak satu | dui poloah satu | duəi poloak do |
50 | fifty | ləmo puluak | ləmo poloak | ləmo poloah | ləmo poloak |
100 | one hundred | sotos | sotos | sotos | sotos |
200 | two hundred | duai otos | duəi otos | dui otos | duəi otos |
1000 | one thousand | səribau | səribeu | səribeu | səribau |
10,000 | ten thousand | dəpuluak ribau | dəpoloak ribəu | dəpoloah ribəu | dəpoloak ribau |
100,000 | one hundred thousand | sotos ribau | sotos ribəu | sotos ribəu | sotos ribau |
1,000,000 | one million | dəjuta | dəjuta | dəjuta | dəjuta |
Days of the week
English | Lebong Dialect | Curup Dialect | Kepahiang Dialect | Utara Dialect |
---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | sənin | sənin | sənin | sənin |
Tuesday | səlasa | səlasa | səlasa | səlasa |
Wednesday | rabau/rabu/rəbau | rabəu/rabu/rəbəu | rabəu/rabu/rəbəu | rebaa/rəbu/rəbəu |
Thursday | kəmis | kəmis | kəmis | kəmis |
Friday | jəm'at/jum'at | jəma'at/jum'at | jəmahat/jum'at | jəm'at/jum'at |
Saturday | sabtau/səbtau/səbtu | sabtəu | seteu | sabtau/səbtau |
Sunday | mingau | mingəu | mingəu | mingəu |
Place
English | Lebong Dialect | Curup Dialect | Kepahiang Dialect | Utara Dialect |
---|---|---|---|---|
behind | bêlakang kədong | bêlakang kêdong | bêlakang kêdong | bêlakang kêdong |
beside | dêpêak pêak | dêpêak pêak | dêpêah pêah saping | dêpêak pêak |
above | das | das | das | das |
in front of | muko | muko | adep | muko |
outside | luêa | luêa | luêh | luêa |
inside | lêm | lêm | lêm | lêm |
corner | iding | iding | iding | iding |
under | bêak | bêak | bêah | bêak |
between | antaro | antaro | antaro | antaro |
Basic elements
English | Lebong Dialect | Curup Dialect | Kepahiang Dialect | Utara Dialect |
---|---|---|---|---|
wind | angin | angin | angin | angin |
water | bioa | bioa | bioa | bioa |
land | tanêak | tanêak | tanəah | tanəak |
soil | pitok | pitak | pitak | pitak |
air | udaro | udaro | udaro | udaro |
fire | opoi | opoi | opoe | opoi |
Sample text
The following is a sample text in Rejang, of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (by the United Nations):
- Kutê tun laher mêrdeka, tmuan hok-hok gik srai. Kutê nagiak-ba akêa peker ngen atêi, kêrno o kêlok-nê bêkuat-ba do ngen luyên lêm asai sêpasuak.
Gloss (word-to-word):
- Article 1 – All human was born independent, has an equal rights. They are endowed a way to think and heart; then they need to be friend each other in the taste of brotherhood.
Translation (grammatical):
- Article 1 – All human beings are born free and equal in rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Notes
- Saputri, Nur Rahmah (2014). Analisis hukum Islam terhadap Adat Bemaling Suku Rejang di Kabupaten Rejang Lebong Bengkulu (PDF) (Undergraduate thesis). UIN Surabaya. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- Rejang at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- McGinn, Richard (2009). "24. Out-of-Borneo subgrouping hypothesis for Rejang: re-weighing the evidence" (PDF). In Adelaar, Alexander; Pawley, Andre (eds.). Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift for Bob Blust. Pacific Linguistics. pp. 397–410. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
- "Request for New Language Code Element in ISO 639-3" (PDF), ISO 639-3 Registration Authority
- Blust 2010, pp. 44, 47.
- Smith 2017a, p. 346–364.
- Smith 2017b, p. 459–460.
- Rejang (Redjang, Kaganga), ScriptSource (developed and maintained by SIL International), retrieved 30 May 2019
- Aichele, W. (1984). A Fragmentary Sketch of the Rejang Language. Materials for a Rejang-Indonesian-English dictionary (Pacific Linguistics: Series D, 58.): Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.
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Bibliography
- Blust, Robert (2010). "The Greater North Borneo Hypothesis". Oceanic Linguistics. University of Hawai'i Press. 49 (1): 44–118. doi:10.1353/ol.0.0060. JSTOR 40783586. S2CID 145459318.
- MacGinn, Richard (1982). Outline of Rejang Syntax (PDF). NUSA 14. Jakarta: Universitas Atma Jaya.
- Smith, Alexander D. (2017). The Languages of Borneo: A Comprehensive Classification (PDF) (Ph.D. thesis). University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
- Smith, Alexander D. (2017). "The Western Malayo-Polynesian Problem". Oceanic Linguistics. University of Hawai'i Press. 56 (2): 435–490. doi:10.1353/ol.2017.0021. S2CID 149377092.
External links
- Richard McGinn, Archive of Materials for the Study of the Rejang of Sumatra. Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- Rejang in Unicode Table