The Saʼban language has several sounds that are rare among the world's languages. These include voiceless nasal and liquid consonants[2] and a distinction between long and short vowels as well as long and short consonants. Some examples of words with voiceless nasals and liquids are given in the table below. They have a stative reading in contrast to long consonants:[2]
Blust, Robert (2001). "Language, Dialect and Riotous Sound Change: The case of Saʼban." In Graham W. Thurgood (ed.)Papers from the Ninth Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society, 249–359. Tempe: Arizona State University.
Clayre, Beatrice (1972). "A preliminary comparative study of the Lun Bawang (Murut) and Saʼban languages of Sarawak."Sarawak Museum Journal 20: 40-41, 45-47.
Clayre, Beatrice (1994). "Saʼban: a case of language change." In Peter W. Martin (ed)Shifting Patterns of Language Use in Borneo, 209-226. Williamsburg VA: Borneo Research Council.
Clayre, Beatrice (2005). "Kelabitic languages and the fate of 'focus': evidence from the Kerayan." In I Wayan Arka & Malcolm Ross (eds.)The many faces of Austronesian voice systems: some new empirical studies, 17-57. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Clayre, Beatrice (2014). "A preliminary typology of the languages of Middle Borneo." In Peter Sercombe, Michael Boutin & Adrian Clynes (eds.)Advances in research on cultural and linguistic practices in Borneo, 123-151. Phillips, Maine USA: Borneo Research Council.
^Martin, Peter (1996). "A comparative ethnolinguistic survey of the Murut (Lun Bawang) with special reference to Brunei". In Martin, Peter; Oz̊óg, Conrad; Poedjosoedarmo, Gloria (eds.).Language Use and Language Change in Brunei Darussalam. Athens OH: Ohio University Press. pp. 268–279.
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