A Preliminary Study of the Subdialects of Sarawak Malay based on Phonological Features and Lexical Words
Abstract
This article is a preliminary comparison of the phonological features of the subdialects of Sarawak Malay. The comparison covers basic phonological features that include phonemes inventory and their distribution in words, diphthongs, and vowel and consonant clusters. The survey is important as the basis for future research on the subdialect mapping of Sarawak Malay. Without the fundamental description of each subdialect in the aspects of phonology, lexical and, to some extent, grammar, it is difficult to research on the development of Malay subdialects in Sarawak. The data for this study were compiled by the present authors and also from the works of past researchers on the subject. The subdialects compared include those of Kuching, Tambirat, Kabong, and Debak, which also represent four focal areas of the Malay population in Sarawak. Two subdialect clusters were identified, namely the subdialect cluster of Kuching and another cluster spoken by the coastal Malays in Western Sarawak. The former group includes varieties in Malay villages in Bahagian Kuching, the surrounding basin of Sg. Sarawak, Sematan, Santubong, and Bako. The latter group includes varieties in the Kalaka-Saribas area in Bahagian Sri Aman and Betong, as well as in Bahagian Samarahan in Btg Sadong and its surrounding areas, namely Asajaya, Simunjan, and Sebuyau. This latter group is more phonologically heterogeneous than the former group, and shares some distinctive phonological features, such as the 8-vowel system, the absence of phoneme /-ɣ/ at word end, as well as diversity in diphthongs. At the same time, they also display phonological differences, such as the realisation of phoneme /-a/ to /-ə/ or /-o/, or maintenance of /-a/ at word end.
Keywords: Malay subdialects, comparative phonology, dialect grouping, Borneo, geolinguistics, dialect mapping
Full text: PDF
References
2. Asmah Haji Omar (2015). Kampar dalam geolinguistik dan geobudaya Melayu. Jurnal Bahasa. 15(2), hlm. 201‒218.
3. Asmah Haji Omar & Norazuna Norahim (2020). Indigenous communities and languages of Sarawak, Malaysia. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
4. Chong Shin (2009). Dialek Melayu di Lembah Baram. International Journal of the Malay World and Civilisation, 27(2), 59‒71.
5. Chong Shin (2015). Dialek Melayu di Lembah Sungai Krian: Variasi Melayu Saribas atau Rejang? Jurnal Bahasa 15(1), 63‒77.
6. Collins, J.T. (1987). Dialek Melayu Sarawak. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
7. Collins, J.T. (2016). Dialek Melayu Sarawak. (Edisi Kedua). Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
8. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (2017). https://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=pesisiran
9. Madzhi Johari. (1972). Fonologi Dialek Melayu Kuching, Sarawak (Latihan Ilmiah tidak diterbitkan), Universiti Malaya.
10. Madzhi Johari (1988). Fonologi dialek Melayu Kuching (Sarawak). Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
11. Mastura Ahmad (1979). Aspek fonologi dan morfologi dialek Melayu Sarawak: Satu kajian preliminari. Latihan Ilmiah. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
12. Mohammed Munawar Azmi (2014). Deskripsi fonologi dialek Melayu di Lembangan Batang Sadong [Latihan Ilmiah tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
13. Nur Sayani Shahira Mat Ghani (2020). Fonologi dialek Melayu Sarawak di Kampung Tambirat, Kota Samarahan [Latihan Ilmiah tidak diterbitkan. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
14. Saidatul Faiqah Samasu & Adi Yasran Abdul Aziz (2013). Inventori fonem konsonan dialek Melayu Kuching, Sarawak. Jurnal Linguistik, 17(1), 10‒18.
15. Salbia Hassan (2015). Sistem vokal dialek Melayu Kabong, Sarawak. Jurnal Bahasa, 15(1), 78‒112.
16. Salbia Hassan (2016). Kajian fonologi dialek Melayu Kabong [Tesis Ph.D. tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Malaya.
17. Sharifah Katikah Binti Wan Samsudin (2017). Perbezaan sistem fonologi antara dialek Melayu Sarawak Saribas dan dialek Melayu Sarawak Kuching [Latihan Ilmiah tidak diterbitkan]. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
18. Shahidi A. H., Rahim Aman, Ab. Samad Kechot, & Sharhaniza Othman (2016). Penerokaan bentuk keterikatan Melayu melalui ragam bahasa: Perbandingan fonologi Melayu Sadong Sarawak dengan Melayu Semenanjung. GEOGRAFIA. Malaysia Journal of Society and Space. 12(11), 103‒122.
19. Statistik Kependudukan Negeri Sarawak (2016,) Jabatan Perangkaan Sarawak.
20. Taha Abdul Kadir (1981). Bahasa Melayu dialek Sarawak: Satu pengenalan ringkas. Dewan Bahasa, 25(7), 56‒71.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Upon acceptance of an article, Authors will be asked to transfer copyright. This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. A notification will be sent to the corresponding Author confirming receipt of the manuscript. If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the Author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article.
