Selayar language
Language spoken in Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Selayar (Basa Silajara) or Selayarese is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by approximately 130,000 people of the Selayar people on the Selayar Islands in the province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia.[2]: 210 This language is egalitarian in its use, there are no levels of language, either rough or weak.
| Selayar | |
|---|---|
| Basa Silajara | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Selayar Islands, South Sulawesi |
| Ethnicity | Selayar people |
Native speakers | 130,000 (2024)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | sly |
| Glottolog | sela1260 |
Distribution of the Selayar language (number 9) is circled in red in the South Sulawesi languages. | |
 | |
Phonology
Vowels
Vowels are lengthened when stressed and in an open syllable.
Nasalization
Nasalization extends from nasal consonants to the following vowels, continuing until blocked by an intonation break or a consonant other than a glottal stop:
- [lamẽãĩʔĩ ãːsu] "A dog urinated on him."
- [sassaʔ lamẽãĩʔĩ | ʔaːsu lataiːʔiʔi] "A lizard urinated on him, and a dog defecated on him."[2]: 225–226
Consonants
Of the coronals, the voiceless stop is dental, while the others are alveolar.
Morphology
Selayarese intransitive verbs index pronominal arguments via an absolutive enclitic.[3][4]: 162
a'lumpa'=a
jump=1S
'I jump'
mangang=a
tired=1S
'I am tired'
In transitive verbs the less agent-like argument is indexed by the absolutive enclitic.[4]: 163
ku=isse'=i
1S=know=3S
'I know him'
