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Note on Language and Orthography
- University of Hawai'i Press
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xi The Tobaku people of Central Sulawesi speak a dialect of an Austronesian language called Uma, which is also referred to as Koro or Pipikoro. Uma was first transcribed by S. J. Esser (1964), with colonial Dutch spelling, and more recently by Summer Institute of Linguistics missionaries, with contemporary Indonesian orthography. Although some Malay (now Indonesian) borrowings occur, Uma is in most respects more similar to ergative Philippine languages, as indeed Sulawesi’s proximity to those islands might suggest. The initial Uma terms in a series are followed by the designation “Uma,” while Indonesian terms are followed by “Ind.” when clarification is needed. Unless otherwise specified, the Uma language terms presented are in the Tobaku dialect. My transcription of Uma also follows the orthographic conventions of modern Indonesian. As in Indonesian, the Uma “r” is a dental trill and most vowels approximate Italian. “Ng” is always as in English “singer,” and “c” is as in English “ch.” Peculiar to Uma, the “w” is a bilabial fricative (closer to an English “v” or “b” than a “w”), and within certain morphemes “h” and certain stops are pre-nasalized. Sequential vowels are enunciated individually , not as diphthongs. All syllables end in vowels or glottal stops, which are represented by an apostrophe (’). Word stress occurs on the penultimate syllable of the root, but, unlike in Indonesian, this is not affected by affixations. Martens (1988a) discusses Uma phonology in greater detail. Martens (1988b, 1988c, 1988d), as well as Martens and Note on Language and Orthography Martens (1988), describes Uma morphology and syntax. As in Indonesian, Uma nouns usually are not marked for plural forms. Hence nouns such as pue’ can be translated as “owner” or “owners.” xii note on language and orthography ...