Tutong language
Austronesian language spoken in Brunei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tutong language, also known as Basa Tutong, is a language spoken by approximately 17,000 people in Brunei. It is the main language of the Tutong people, the majority ethnic group in the Tutong District of Brunei.
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Malayo-Polynesian
- North Bornean
- North Sarawakan
- Berawan–Lower Baram
- Lower Baram
- Kiput–Belait
- Tutong
- Kiput–Belait
- Lower Baram
- Berawan–Lower Baram
- North Sarawakan
- North Bornean
| Tutong | |
|---|---|
| Tutong 2 | |
| Region | Brunei |
Native speakers | 17,000 (2006)[1] |
Austronesian
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ttg |
| Glottolog | tuto1241 |
Classification
Tutong is an Austronesian language and belongs to the Rejang–Baram group of languages spoken in Brunei as well as Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia.[2] Tutong is related to the Belait language with roughly 54% of basic vocabulary being cognate.[3]
Language use
Today, many speakers of Tutong are shifting away from the traditional language and code-mix or code-shift with Brunei Malay, Standard Malay and English.[4] The language has been given a vitality rating of 2.5 based on a scale of 0–6 that uses the measures of the rate of transmission to future generations, the level of official support, and the geographical concentration of speakers.[2][5] This means it is considered endangered.
Nonetheless, there is interest in revitalising the language. Since 2012, a module has been taught in Tutong at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.[6] Similarly, the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (Brunei's language agency) published a Tutong–Malay, Malay–Tutong dictionary in 1991 and a word list of several Brunei languages in 2011.[2][6]
Phonology
Vowels
- Vowels /i, ɛ, a, u/ are heard as [e, ə, ʌ, o] in lax positions.
- /ɛ, a/ can also be freely heard as [ə, ʌ] in syllable-initial positions.
Consonants
- Sounds /p, k, m/ may also be geminated as [pː, kː, mː].
- Other sounds /z, ʃ, x, h/ may occur from loanwords.[7]