Ulumandaʼ language

In this article we are going to delve into the fascinating world of Ulumandaʼ language. Throughout history, Ulumandaʼ language has captured the attention of millions of people around the world, awakening endless emotions, opinions and debates. For centuries, Ulumandaʼ language has played a crucial role in various cultures and societies, influencing the way we live, think and relate. Through this article, we will explore the multiple facets of Ulumandaʼ language, from its impact on society to its evolution over time, with the aim of offering a broad and enriching vision of this exciting topic.
Ulumandaʼ
Native toIndonesia
RegionSulawesi
Native speakers
(30,000 cited 1986)
Language codes
ISO 639-3ulm
Glottologulum1237

Ulumandaʼ is an Austronesian language of West Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is nearly intelligible with other Pitu Ulunna Salu languages.

Phonology

The vowel inventory of Ulumandaʼ is as follows:

Vowels of Ulumandaʼ according to Zobel (2018)
Front Back
Close i y u
Mid e ø o
Open æ ɑ

The attested consonant inventory is as follows:

Consonants attested in the vocabulary of Smith (1993)
Labial Alveolar Dorsal Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t k ʔ
voiced b d ɡ
Nasal m n ŋ
Fricative s h
Trill r
Lateral l
Approximant j

Vowel harmony

Ulumandaʼ is unusual among the Austronesian languages of Sulawesi for featuring a vowel harmony opposition of front vowels /æ, ø, y/ to corresponding back vowels /ɑ, o, u/ comparable to that of the Uralic languages. Originally, fronted vowels arose from the fronting of back vowels before syllable-final velar consonants *k and *ŋ, but were phonemicized in final syllables when word-final *-m and *-n merged with *ŋ to result in -ŋ but did not front a preceding back vowel unlike original *-ŋ. These fronted vowels then fronted any other back vowels in a word except if a neutral vowel like *e or *i intervened between the vowels.

A contrastive pair includes /uraŋ/ "person" vs. /uræŋ/ "shrimp".

References

  1. ^ Ulumandaʼ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Friberg, Timothy; Laskowske, Thomas V. (1989). "South Sulawesi languages" (PDF). In J.N. Sneddon (ed.). Studies in Sulawesi linguistics part 1. NUSA 17. Jakarta: Badan Penyelenggara Seri Nusa. pp. 1–17.
  3. ^ Zobel, Erik (September 15, 2014). "Vowel Fronting in Ulumanda' (South Sulawesi)". Sounds from around the Pacific Ocean. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Smith, Beverly Kean (1993). A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Pitu Ulunna Salu. University of Texas at Arlington.
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