| Ngaju | |
|---|---|
 Warning sign prohibiting land burning in Ngaju language | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Kalimantan |
| Ethnicity | Ngaju |
Native speakers | 890,000 (2003)[1] |
Austronesian
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nij |
| Glottolog | ngaj1237 |
 Map showing distribution of Ngaju language (green) | |
Ngaju (also Ngaju Dayak or Dayak Ngaju) is an Austronesian language spoken along the Kapuas, Kahayan, Katingan, and Mentaya Rivers in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is closely related to the Bakumpai language. There are three dialects—Pulau Petak (Pulopetak), Ba'amang, and Mantangai.[2]
Phonology
Consonants
Ngaju has the following consonants.
| Biabial | Coronal | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||||||
| Stop | p | b | t | d | c | ɟ | k | g | ||
| Fricative | s | h | ||||||||
| Approximant (Lateral) |
j | w | ||||||||
| l | ||||||||||
| Trill | r | |||||||||
Vowels
Ngaju has the following vowels. All vowels except ə can be long.[3]
| Front | Central | Back rounded | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Low | a |
Orthography
Vowels and diphthongs
- a – [a]
- e – [e/ə]
- i – [i]
- o – [o]
- u – [u]
- ai – [aj]
- au – [aw]
- ei – [ej]
Consonants
- b – [b]
- c – [c]
- d – [d]
- g – [g]
- h – [h]
- j – [ɟ]
- k – [k/ʔ]
- l – [l]
- m – [m]
- n – [n]
- ng – [ŋ]
- ny – [ɲ]
- p – [p]
- r – [r]
- s – [s]
- t – [t]
- w – [w]
- y – [j][4]
Vocabulary
Vocabulary comparison between Bakumpai, Ngaju, Indonesian and English languages.
| Bakumpai | Ngaju | Indonesian | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jida | Dia | Tidak | No |
| Beken | Beken | Bukan | Not |
| Pai | Pai | Kaki | Foot/Leg |
| Kueh | Kueh | Mana | Which/Where |
| Si-kueh | Bara-kueh | Dari mana | Where from |
| Hituh | Hetuh | Sini | Here |
| Si-hituh | Intu-hetuh | Di sini | Here |
| Bara | Bara | Dari | From |
| Kejaw | Kejaw | Jauh | Far |
| Tukep/Parak | Tukep | Dekat | Near |
| Kuman | Kuman | Makan | Eat |
| Mihup | Mihop | Minum | Drink |
| Lebu | Lewu | Kampung | Village |
| Batatapas | Bapukan | Mencuci pakaian | To wash clothes |
Notes
- Ngaju at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- Gordon, Raymond G. Jr. (2005). Ethnologue: Languages of the World (15th ed.). Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
- Mihing & Stokhof (1977)
- "Ngaju language". Omniglot. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
References
- Ashn E. Johannes (1971). An Introduction to Dayak Ngaju Morphology (MA thesis). Malang.
- Mihing, T. W. J.; Stokhof, W. A. L. (1977). "On the Ngaju Dayak sound system (Pulau Petak dialect)" (PDF). In Soepomo Poedjosoedarmo (ed.). Miscellaneous Studies in Indonesian and Languages in Indonesia, Part III. NUSA 4. Jakarta: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya. pp. 49–59.