Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia
The Simeulue language is spoken by the Simeulue people of Simeulue off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Names
Simeulue is also called Mae o, which literally means 'Where are you going?'. Ethnologue also lists Long Bano, Simalur, Simeuloë, and Simulul as alternate names.
Varieties
Simeulue is spoken in five of eight subdistricts (kecamatan) of Simeulue Regency. It includes two dialects.
Sikule, related to Nias, is spoken in Salang, Alafan and Simeulue Barat in northern Simeulue, while Jamu (also called Kamano), related to Minangkabau, is spoken in the capital city of Sinabang and has become the lingua franca of the island.
Phonology
- The phonemes /d c ɟ g j ɲ/ do not appear word-finally.
- /ɲ/ also does not appear word-initially.
Additionally, the following diphthongs have been observed: /au/, /ai/, /ɔi/.
See also
|
---|
|
|
- * indicates proposed status
- ? indicates classification dispute
- † indicates extinct status
|