Palembang language

Palembang, also known as Palembang Malay or Musi,[lower-alpha 1] is a Malayic language primarily spoken in about two thirds of South Sumatra Province in Indonesia, especially along the Musi River. It consists of two separate but mutually intelligible dialect chains: Musi and Palembang.[1] The Palembang dialect is a koiné that was born in Palembang, the capital city of South Sumatra. It has become a lingua franca throughout major population centers in the province, and is often used polyglossically with Indonesian and other regional languages and dialects in the area.[3] Since parts of South Sumatra used to be under direct Javanese rule for quite a long time, the speech varieties of Palembang and its surrounding area are significantly influenced by Javanese, down to their core vocabularies.[4]

Palembang
Musi, Palembang Malay
Baso Palembang
Native to	Indonesia
Region	South Sumatra
Ethnicity	Palembang people Malays of southern Sumatra
Native speakers	3.1 million (2000 census)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian (disputed) Malayic Palembang
Language codes
ISO 639-3	mui
Glottolog	musi1241

Phonology

Dunggio (1983) lists 26 phonemes for the Palembang dialect; specifically, there are 20 consonants and 6 vowels.[5] However, another study by Aliana (1987) states that there are only 25 phonemes in Palembang, reanalyzing /z/ as and allophone of /s/ and /d͡ʒ/ instead.[6]

Vowels

	front	central	back
close	i		u
mid	e	ə	o
open		a

In closed syllables, /i/ and /u/ are realized as [ɪ] and [ʊ], respectively.[7]

Consonants

		bilabial	alveolar	postalv./ palatal	velar	glottal
nasal		m	n	ɲ	ŋ
stop	voiceless	p	t	t͡ʃ	k	ʔ
	voiced	b	d	d͡ʒ	g
fricative	voiceless		s			h
	voiced		(z)		ɣ~ʀ
approximant	semivowel	w		j
	lateral		l

Example Text

English	Indonesian	Malay (Malaysia)	Minangkabau	Palembang (Sari-Sari)
Universal Declaration of Human Rights	Pernyataan Umum tentang Hak-Hak Asasi Manusia	Perisytiharan Hak Asasi Manusia Sejagat	Deklarasi Sadunia Hak-Hak Asasi Manusia	Deklarasi Universal Pasal Hak Asasinyo Wong
Article 1	Pasal 1	Perkara 1	Pasal 1	Pasal 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.	Semua orang dilahirkan merdeka dan mempunyai martabat dan hak-hak yang sama. Mereka dikaruniai akal dan hati nurani dan hendaknya bergaul satu sama lain dalam semangat persaudaraan.	Semua manusia dilahirkan merdeka dan mempunyai martabat dan hak-hak yang sama. Mereka mempunyai pemikiran dan hati nurani dan hendaklah bergaul antara satu sama lain dengan semangat persaudaraan.	Sadonyo manusia dilahiakan mardeka dan punyo martabat sarato hak-hak nan samo. Mareka dikaruniai aka jo hati nurani, supayo satu samo lain bagaul sarupo urang badunsanak.	Wong tu dilaherke merdeka galo, jugo samo-samo ado martabat dengen hak galo. Wong-wong beroleh karunia akal dengen nurani, dan mestinyo besuo samo yang laen dengen caro wong bedulur.

Notes

1. The name "Palembang" can refer both to the urban Palembang dialect, distinct from Musi dialect proper, or to the whole Palembang/Musi dialect group.[1] This term is also the most popular endonym for the language and is prominently used in the academic literature.[2]

References

1. Musi language at Ethnologue (22nd ed., 2019)
2. Alsamadani, Mardheya; Taibah, Samar (2019). "Types and Functions of Reduplication in Palembang". Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society. 12 (1): 113.
3. McDonnell 2016, p. 13.
4. Tadmor, Uri (16–17 June 2001). Language Contact and Historical Reconstruction: The Case of Palembang Malay. 5th International Symposium on Malay/Indonesian Linguistics. Leipzig.
5. Dunggio 1983, pp. 7-10.
6. Aliana 1987, p. 14.
7. Dunggio 1983, pp. 21-22.

Bibliography

• Aliana, Zainul Arifin (1987). Morfologi dan sintaksis bahasa Melayu Palembang [The morphology and syntax of Palembang Malay] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Pursat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Dunggio, P.D. (1983). Struktur bahasa Melayu Palembang [The structure of Palembang Malay] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• McDonnell, Bradley (2016). Symmetrical voice constructions in Besemah: a usage-based approach (PhD Dissertation). Santa Barbara: University of California Santa Barbara.