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Sula language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sula
Sanana
Li Sua
Native toIndonesia,Maluku
RegionSula Islands
EthnicitySula
Native speakers
(20,000 cited 1983)[1]
Dialects
  • Facei
  • Fagudu
  • Falahu
Language codes
ISO 639-3szn
Glottologsula1245

Sula(Sanana) is aMalayo-Polynesian languageof theCentral Malukubranch. It is related to theBuru language.Sula is spoken mainly on theSulabesi,with theSananaas its center.

It is definitely endangered, currently under pressure from the local variety of Malay, known asSula Malay.[2]

Sula has borrowed many lexical items fromAmbonese Malay,as well asTernate,a more dominant language ofNorth Maluku.[2]: 141, 342–535 Dutch loans have entered the language too, perhaps through Malay and Ternate. Standard Indonesian has also been influential.[2]: 141 

Mangoleis sometimes listed as a distinct language.[2]: 50 

Phonology

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Consonants

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Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless p t k ʔ
voiced b d ɡ
Nasal m n ŋ
Fricative f s (ʃ) h
Trill r
Lateral l
Approximant w j

Voiced consonant sounds/bdɡ/may also be heard as devoiced[b̥ɡ̊]in word-final position.

Vowels

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Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e o
Open a

/e/can also be heard as[ɛ]in lax form.[2]

References

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  1. ^SulaatEthnologue(18th ed., 2015)(subscription required)
  2. ^abcdeBloyd, Tobias S. (2020).Sula: Its language, land, and people.University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Bloyd, Tobias (2020).Sula: Its Language, Land, and People(PhD thesis). University of Hawai'i at Manoa.hdl:10125/69017.