Languages of Malaysia and Brunei

[vijayjohn]

Apart from various creoles, sign languages, and immigrant languages, there are languages from two families spoken in Malaysia, namely the Aslian languages and various Austronesian languages. Most of the (Austronesian) languages spoken in Malaysia are either Malayic languages, like Malay and Indonesian, or North Borneo languages. However, in Sabah (far northeastern Malaysia/Borneo), there are several Sama-Bajaw languages spoken as well as a Philippine (or, more specifically, South Visayan) language called Tausug, also spoken in the Philippines. There are also five Land Dayak languages spoken in Sarawak along (a very small part of) the border with Indonesia. Like the Malayic languages and Tausug, Sama-Bajaw and Land Dayak languages are all Austronesian.

[vijayjohn]

Apparently, the North Borneo languages include Sabahan languages and North Sarawakan languages. These names are all so geographic they sound suspicious to me! I wonder how well researched these subgroups are. Wikipedia only seems to cite Robert Blust and Alexander D. Smith.

Wikipedia also says:

Aslian languages recognized by the Malaysian administration include Kensiu, Kintaq, Jahai, Minriq, Batek, Cheq Wong, Lanoh, Temiar, Semai, Jah Hut, Mah Meri, Semaq Beri, Semelai and Temoq.

I have definitely posted songs in at least some of these before.
AFAIU Aslian languages are considered to be Austroasiatic (not Austronesian!).

[vijayjohn]

Ethnologue apparently lists eight languages as being spoken in Brunei apart from (more or less) Standard Malay. Of these, only two are Malayic, namely Brunei Malay (listed simply as "Brunei") and Iban, a language spoken all over Borneo including in Malaysia and Indonesia. Half (four languages) are North Sarawakan languages. Like them, the two remaining languages are also North Bornean languages (just not North Sarawakan).

The four North Sarawakan languages are Belait, Tutong, Eastern Penan, and Lun Bawang. Of these four, Belait and Tutong are the two that are most closely related to each other. They are both Lower Baram languages and thus closely related to the Berawan language spoken nearby in Sabah, Malaysia. Wikipedia seems to suggest that, yet express some doubt about whether, Eastern Penan is related to the Kenyah languages, which are also North Sarawakan. Lun Bawang belongs to a third subgroup within North Sarawakan called Apo Duat.

The two North Bornean languages that are not also North Sarawakan are Central Melanau and Brunei Bisaya. Central Melanau is a variety of the Melanau language, which is considered part of a group called Melanau-Kajang. Brunei Bisaya is a Southwest Sabahan language; despite the name of this subgroup, some Southwest Sabahan langauges (such as Brunei Bisaya) are spoken not in Sabah but rather in Borneo, including Brunei.