Uab Meto language

Spoken in

  • Austronesian
  • Malayo - Polynesian languages
  • Central Malayo -Polynesian
  • Timor
  • Fabronische languages
  • Uab Meto

Adf

Uab Meto ( Dawan ) is the language of Atoin Meto in the west of the island of Timor.

Survey

Like most languages ​​of Timor includes the Uab Meto (literally " indigenous language" ) to the large group of the Malayo -Polynesian languages ​​, namely to their westindonesischem branch. Depending on the perspective that language is today referred to as Dawan, where the term Dawan a foreign name used in the bureaucracy and in the cities, Uab Meto is the ethnic self- designation. About the origin of the term Dawan, which serves as a derogatory term both of ethnicity and language, there is no etymological information.

Speakers and dialects

The Uab Meto, with about 600,000 speakers of the Timorese language with the most native speakers and the dominant language of West Timor. From mainly in the state of East Timor spoken Tetum while there are more speakers, but among them are many who use it as a second language. The Uab Meto was not a written language until the middle of the 20th century, to a dialect of the standard of modern literary language was. Among themselves, however, the regional dialects are so different that only in the field of territorial borders settle spokesmen for both dialects. Among themselves, the regional dialects are not necessarily understandable. The main dialects of Uab Meto are:

A) Amarasi ( West Timor, Kupang District Government ) b ) Molo and Miomafo ( administrative districts of south-central and north- central Timor) c ) Amanubang and Amanatun ( Regierungsbezirk Südzentraltimor ) d) Insana and Biboki ( Region of North Central Timor) e) Baikeno ( East Timorese enclave of Oecusse )

The dialect Baikeno is the language of the East Timorese enclave of Oecusse. For political reasons, this is also the name under which this dialect is recognized as one of 15 national languages ​​of East Timor in its constitution. 62 201 East Timorese speak a dialect of Uab Meto as a native speaker.

Construction

The largest part of the root words of Uab Meto consists of two syllables, the emphasis is on the first syllable. Ends on the first syllable [ a] or [e ], the [e ] the first syllable is always short and is hardly stresses in meto (dry), pena ( corn), ane (dry rice) etc. Ends the second syllable contrast to [ i] or [ u], the [e ] is the first syllable long, closed and unaccented, as in menu ( bitter), peti (box) etc. Ubiquitous metathesis in everyday language and everyday is a characteristic feature of the spoken Uab Meto. Under metathesis linguistics understands the interchange of consonants within a word: Atoni - Atoin Meto (man, man - Local ), neno - neon mese (day, sun - First day of the week, Monday), usi - uis neno ( Prince - Prince of heaven, God ), etc. As the examples show, the qualification requires a metathesis on the noun ( rain).

Pay

1 mese 2 nua 3 Teun 4 haa 5 NIIM 6 nee 7 HIUT faun 8 9 sio 10 WICKED

Language family North Central Timor Regency Languages of East Timor Adabe language Bunak language Galoli language Idalaka Kemak language Makasae language Rusenu language Tocodede language
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