| Sawai | |
|---|---|
| Weda | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | North Maluku province |
Native speakers | (12,000 cited 2000)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | szw |
| Glottolog | sawa1247 |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
TheSawai language (alsoWeda) is aSouth Halmahera language of theAustronesianlanguage family spoken in theWeda, Weda Selatan and Gane Timor districts of southernHalmahera, inNorth Maluku Province ofIndonesia. There are approximately 12,000 speakers.
Below is a description of the Kobe dialect of Sawai spoken in the villages ofLelilef Woyebulan andKobe Peplis, as well as from Whistler (1995).
Sawai has 15consonants:
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | p b | t d | k ɡ | |
| Fricative | f | s | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |
| Semivowel | w | j | ||
| Liquid | l ɾ |
Sawai has eightvowels:
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| High-Mid | e | ə | o |
| Low-Mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Low | a |
Sawai has the following syllable structure:
Examples:
| word | gloss | syllable type |
|---|---|---|
| /i/ | 's/he/it' | V |
| /in/ | 'fish' | VC |
| /wo/ | 'alcoholic drink' | CV |
| /npo/ | 's/he/it gives' | CCV |
| /kot/ | 'magic statue' | CVC |
| /nfan/ | 's/he/it goes' | CCVC |