Nauruan language
Spoken in
- Austronesian Malayo -Polynesian Central Eastern Malayo -Polynesian Malayo - Polynesian languages East Oceanic languages Zentralostozeanische languages Remote Oceanic languages Micronesian languages Origin. micronesian Nauru
Well
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Nauruan ( naur. dorerin Naoero ) is an Austronesian language, a mixture of many languages in the Pacific. It is only spoken in Nauru. Nauru is a language recognized by the UN.
Dialects
According to a 1937 report to published in Sydney there were in Nauru until 1888, when Germany was a colonial power, and until the publication of the first written texts in Nauruan a variety of dialects. The variations were sometimes so different that people from different districts obviously had problems to fully understand. With the increasing influence of foreign languages and the increased publication of texts Nauruan the dialects mixed to a standard language, which was also promoted by the dictionaries and translations of Alois Kayser and Philip Delaporte.
Today there is virtually no variations or dialects more. A dialect spoken only in yet Yaren District, which, however, can hardly be distinguished; the same dialect is spoken in Yaren and the immediate vicinity.
Alphabet
In the Nauruan written language only 17 letters were originally used:
- The five vowels: a, e, i, o, u
- Twelve consonants: b, d, g, j, k, m, n, p, q, r, t, w
The letters c, f, h, L, S, V, X, Y and Z are not included. With the growing influence of foreign languages (especially German, Pidgin English ( Tok Pisin ), Bislama and Kiribati) bürgerten gradually more and more letters in the alphabet a Nauruan. Added to this was the phonetic differentiation of some vowels, so that umlauts and other similar sounding sounds were then provided with a tilde.
Attempt at reform in 1938
1938 there was by the Nauruan language committee to Timothy Detudamo the attempt to make the language for Europeans and Americans better understood. It was provided that one of the different vowel sounds introduces much diacritics as possible to demonstrate the diversity of the Nauruan language writing. Finally, it was decided, however, only a diacritical mark, an accent to introduce to replace the former tilde, so that the umlauts "õ " and " ũ " by " ò" and " ù " were replaced. The " ã" was the " e" is set.
Further, the introduction of the " y" was chosen to be distinguished from words with the English " j" (eg puji ). So changed eg to iyeyi ijeiji. The "ñ" was replaced by " ng " to distinguish from the Spanish Ñ. The double consonants "bu " and were " qu " is replaced by "bw " and " kw ". For this purpose, the previously used "ts", which is pronounce like the English "j " is replaced by precisely this " j"; For example, to Baiti changed in Beiji. Even the written word ends in "w" has been removed.
These reforms were only partially or not at all prevail: the umlauts "õ " and " ũ " are still written with tildes. However, today the letters " ã" and "ñ" are rarely used and are replaced by " e" and " ng " as prescribed reform. Also has enforced the case of the double consonant "bw " and " kw ". Controversial is the "j ", which took the place of "ts " and the "y". For example, the districts Baiti and Ijuw are still written in the old spelling (according to Reform Beiji and Iyu ). However, the "y" could prevail largely in accordance with reform.
Thus today the following 28 Latin letters are used.
- Vowels: a, ã, e, i, o, õ, u, ũ
- Semi vowel: j
- Consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, n, p, q, r, s, t, w, y, z
Until today does not use the letters v and x.
Pronunciation of vowels
The vowels with tildes denote generally umlauts, ie ã is like a ä, ö and the like õ ũ like the one above expressed.
- The vowel a has five different sounds: as in the English word " father". Example: abab ( 'kill' )
- As in the French word " madame ". Example: e man ( " he died " )
- As in the English word "quantity ". Example: ouwak ( "wide, great")
- As in the French word " lâche ". Example: eokwan ( "the sun " )
- As in the German word " mane " ( ã ). Example: imuinãn ( " news " )
- The vowel e has three different sounds: as in the English word " pet". Example: emedena ( "The Road " )
- As in the English word " pain". Example: inside ( " his mother " )
- As in the French word " épée ". Example: bebe ( "light, not heavy " )
- The vowel i has two different sounds: as in the German word "meaning". Example: imine ( "thing, thing " )
- A mixed sound of " u " and "i", which sometimes occurs in Swiss German. Example: ninenin ( " tighten " )
- The vowel o has three different sounds: as in the English word " roll". Example: bobo ( "smell" )
- As in the English word " son". Example: " EKOM " ( "judicial inquiry " )
- As in the German word " carrot" or the French word " feu " ( õ ). Example: EBOG ( " fresh " )
- The vowel u has four different sounds: as in the English word " Took ". Example: dudu ( " water " )
- As in the German word " trouble " ( ÷ ). Example: ibũgibũgi ( "grass" )
- A deeper sound than the above in " trouble ". Example: iju ( "fish")
- A mixed sound of "u" and "ü". Example: ewadudu ( "hill" )
Pronunciation of the consonants
The letter N with tilde ( Ñ ) represents the sound ng. Although Nauruan words with "ñ" should be written today with " ng " is the outdated "ñ" still often used. Example: The district Meneng called on both Nauru Menen and Meneng.
Text example
The following example is from the text of the Bible ( Genesis, 1.1-1.8 ):
1Ñaga ã eitsiõk orig IMIM, God orig ianweron me eb 2Me eitsiõk ERIG imine NANA bain eat eb, me eko õañan, mi Itur emek animwet ijited, ma Anin God õmakamakur animwet EBoK. 3Me God UGE, Enim EAO, me eaõen. 4Me God ÃT ILO bwo omo, me God õekae ILO mi Itur. 5me God eij eget ILO bwa Aran, me e ij eget Itur bwa Anũbũmin. Ma ma antsiemerin antsioran ar eken ũrõr adamonit ibũm. 6ME God UGE, Enim tsinime firmament inimaget EBoK, me enim ekae EBoK atsin eat EBoK. 7Me God eririñ firmament, MO õ ekae EBoK NEA ijõñin firmament atsin eat EBoK NEA itũgain firmament, MO Uganda. 8ME God eij egen firmament bwe Ianweron. Ma ma antsiemerin antsioran ar eke ũrõr karabũmit ibũm.
It is striking that in the Nauruan vocabulary some German loanwords are included (God, the firmament ), which is due to the strong influence of German missionaries. But Latin loan words such as " orig" (from Latin origo "origin" (Original ) ) can be identified.