We infer the spirit of the nation in great measure from the language, which is a sort of monument to which each forcible individual in a course if many hundred years has contributed a stone.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Special end syllables:
These syllables have no english or malay equivalent.
| End Syllables | Example |
| uek (uwe' ) | buek (hair, rambut), peseluek (to forget, lupa) |
| éng (é~aNG) | Tawéng (to jump, lompat), Tuléng (bones, tulang) |
| eng (eNG) | Tubeng (to cut, tebang), teraweng (window, tingkap) |
| 'ing (i~aNG) | si'ing (first, pertama), s'ing (cat, kuching), pesil'ing ( to fly, terbang) |
| aih (ay~H) | Biyaih (body, badan), jelawaih (alone, seorang) |
| uih (uwih) | Rebuih (boil, rebus) |
| éyk (eya') | béyk (blade, bilah), séyk (red, merah) |
| ung ( u~aNG) | Karung (packet, karung) |
More Examples:
Diefferent spelling, different meaning
sék- to put, letak
sek- bush, semak
séyk- red, merah
béi- to have, ada
béyk- blade, bilah
pa'ai yen- to cross, menyeberangi
payen- fever, demam
asou- dog, anjing
'a sou- grandchildren, cucu
s'ing- cat, kuching
si'ing- first, pertama
diy'i- pole, tiang
id- to wipe, mengelap
'id- fan, kipas
buk- book, buku
buek- hair, rambut
adék- short, pendek
adek- to smell, hidu
asék- to pity, kasihan
asek- to wear, memakai
Categories:
Lesson
Hi, thanks for posting these lessons. I have been trying to revive my spoken Melanau (I'm half Melanau, btw). I'm glad you have these lessons (likou Mukah), which are words I have heard during my childhood. Bring 'em on....I've bookmarked your blog. Thanks!
thanks for your support! I will keep blogging and continue to research about melanau language. It is indeed a very beautiful language but taken for granted :)
Hi, thanks for the sharing. I would like to know that the spelling that you suggested here is belongs to which Melanau dialect?
the spelling intended to be used by all dialects. Since i have limited resourcse on the sounds of other dialects, it is save to say that the spelling applicable to melanau mukah dialects. im still improving the spelling system. if you have any suggestion please comment here :)