Minangkabau language
Austronesian language, spoken by the Minangkabau of West Sumatra
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Minangkabau is similar to Malay. The relationship between the languages is characterized in different ways. Some see Minangkabau as an early variety of Malay, while others think of Minangkabau as a distinct (Malayic) language.
Minangkabau is one of a few languages that generally lacks verb forms and grammatical subject-object distinctions.
The Minangkabau language is still commonly spoken amongst the Minangkabau people, and it is used amongst the widespread Minangkabau diaspora. The Minangkabau language is deemed as "informal" in the urban regions of Padang, with the Indonesian language being preferred instead in formal institutions. Youth in the city frequently uses a mixture of conversational Minang and Indonesian slang.
Geographic distribution
Minangkabau is the native language of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra. There are approximately 5.5 million speakers of the language. It is also spoken in the western part of Riau, the southern and western coast of Aceh, the northern part of Bengkulu and Jambi. Along the western coastal region of North Sumatra, the language is also a lingua franca. The language is used and called Aneuk Jamee in parts of Aceh.
Besides Indonesia, Minangkabau is also spoken in Malaysia, by some descendants of migrants from the Minang-speaking region in Sumatra (Ranah Minang, Tanah Minang, or Land of the Minang). Significant numbers of the early migrants settled in what is now the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan; this Negeri Sembilan Malay, known as Bahaso Nogori / Baso Nogoghi, is now a distinct language, more closely related to Malay than to Minangkabau. More recent immigrants are known as Minang.
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Dialects
The Minangkabau language has several dialects, sometimes differing between nearby villages (e.g. separated by a river). The dialects are Rao Mapat Tunggul, Muaro Sungai Lolo, Payakumbuh, Pangkalan-Lubuk Alai, Agam-Tanah Datar, Pancungsoal, Kotobaru, Sungai Bendung Air, and Karanganyar. In everyday communication between Minangkabau people of different regions, the Agam-Tanah Datar dialect (Baso Padang or Baso Urang Awak 'our [people's] language') is often used and has become a kind of standard.
The Tapan language, spoken in the town of Tapan in southern West Sumatra province, is a recently discovered Malayan language which has been proposed as related to but not part of Minangkabau. Together, Tapan and Minangkabau would form a Greater Minangkabau subgroup. The two languages Tapan and Muko-Muko form a Lunangic subgroup within the Minangic (Greater Minangkabau) language group.
The Minangic subgroup is characterized by the following word-final sound changes.
- *V[hi]ŋ > V[hi]ăŋ
- *us > uĭh
- *at > eʔ
- *as > eh
- *is > ih
Phonology
The sound inventory of Minangkabau is listed below:
Consonants
Vowels
Example
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Minangkabau:
Sadonyo urang lahia mardeka jo punyo martabaik jo hak-hak nan samo. Nyo diagiah aka jo hati nurani sarato handaknyo babaua samo nan lainnyo dalam samangaik badunsanak.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in English:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.