Wolio language
Wolio is an Austronesian language spoken in and around Baubau on Buton Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs to the Wotu–Wolio branch of the Celebic subgroup.[2][3] Also known as Buton, it is a trade language and the former court language of the Sultan at Baubau. Today it is an official regional language; street signs are written in the Buri Wolio alphabet, based on the Arabic script.
| Wolio | |
|---|---|
| Region | Sulawesi |
Native speakers | 65,000 (2004)[1] |
Austronesian
| |
| Buri Wolio (Arabic script) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | wlo |
| Glottolog | woli1241 |
Phonology
The five vowels are /i e a o u/. The consonant system is characterized by the presence of prenasalized stops, which are treated as a single sound in Wolio.[4]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| Plosive | voiceless | plain | p | t | c | k | ʔ |
| prenasalized | ᵐp | ⁿt | ᶮc | ᵑk | |||
| voiced | plain | b | d | ɟ | g | ||
| prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑg | |||
| implosive | ɓ | ɗ | |||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | h | |||
| voiced | v | ||||||
| Trill | r | ||||||
| Lateral | l | ||||||
/b, d, f/ are found in loans, mostly from Arabic.[5]
Stress is on the penultimate syllable, and only open syllables are allowed.[6]
Grammar
Wolio personal pronouns have one independent form, and three bound forms.[7]
| independent | actor | object | possessive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.sg. | iaku | ku- | -aku | -ngku |
| 1.pl. incl. | ingkita | ta- | -kita | -ta |
| 1.pl. excl. | ingkami | ta- | -kami | -mami |
| 2.sg. | ingkoo | u- | -ko | -mu |
| 2.pl. | ingkomiu | u- | -komiu | -miu |
| 3. | incia | a- | -a/-ia | -na |
Number is not distinguished in third person. Optionally, plural number can be expressed by means of the plural-marker manga: manga incia 'they'.[8]
References
- Wolio at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- Donohue (2004), p. 33.
- Mead (2003), p. 135.
- Anceaux (1988), pp. 4–5.
- Anceaux (1988), p. 6.
- Anceaux (1988), p. 9.
- Anceaux (1988), pp. 25, 27, 34, 36, 42.
- Anceaux (1988), p. 36.
Bibliography
- Anceaux, Johannes Cornelis (1988). The Wolio Language. Leiden: Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004286320.
- Donohue, Mark (2004). "The pretenders to the Muna-Buton group". In Bowden, J.; Himmelmann, N. (eds.). Papers in Austronesian subgrouping and dialectology. Pacific Linguistics 563. Canberra: Australian National University. pp. 21–36. doi:10.15144/PL-563.21. hdl:1885/146183.
- Mead, David (2003). "Evidence for a Celebic supergroup". In Lynch, John (ed.). Issues in Austronesian historical phonology. Pacific Linguistics 550. Canberra: Australian National University. pp. 115–141. doi:10.15144/PL-550.115. hdl:1885/146173.
Further reading
- Wolio - Indonesian Dictionary https://repositori.kemdikbud.go.id/2958/1/kamus%20wolio%20indonesia%20%20%20%20%20205.pdf (Archive)
- Mead, David; Smith, Joanna. "The voice systems of Wotu, Barang-barang and Wolio: Synchronic and diachronic perspectives". In Malcolm D. Ross; I Wayan Arka (eds.). Language Change in Austronesian languages: papers from 12-ICAL, Volume 3. Asia-Pacific linguistics 018 / Studies on Austronesian languages 004. pp. 51–78. hdl:1885/13386.
- van den Berg, René (2008). "Notes on the historical phonology and classification of Wolio". In Yury A. Lander; Alexander K. Ogloblin (eds.). Language and Text in the Austronesian World: Studies in honor of Ülo Sirk. München: Lincom. pp. 89–113.