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Matbat language

{{short description|Austronesian language spoken in West Papua, Indonesia}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Matbat

|altname=Misool

|states=Indonesia

|region=Misool, Raja Ampat islands

|speakers=1,000–1,500

|date=2001

|ref=

|familycolor=Austronesian

|fam2=Malayo-Polynesian

|fam3=Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian

|fam4=Eastern Malayo-Polynesian

|fam5=South Halmahera–West New Guinea

|fam6=Raja Ampat–South Halmahera

|fam7=Ma'ya-Matbat

|iso3=xmt

|glotto=matb1237

|glottorefname=Matbat

|coordinates={{coord|-1.88|130.07}}

|pushpin_map=Indonesia Western New Guinea

}}

Matbat is a heavily Papuan-influenced Austronesian language spoken in West Papua, Indonesia, on the island of Misool, Raja Ampat islands. Its dialects are Magey and Tomolol.{{Cite thesis |last=Kamholz |first=David |title=Austronesians in Papua: Diversification and Change in South Halmahera–West New Guinea |date=2014 |degree=Ph.D. |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8zg8b1vd}}{{rp|17}} Similar to the neighboring Ma'ya language, Matbat is one of a handful of Austronesian languages with true lexical tone rather than a pitch-accent system or complete lack of phonemic tonal contrasts as with most other Austronesian languages.

Distribution

Matbat is spoken in the following locations within Raja Ampat Regency:{{cite book |last=Ronsumbre |first=Adolof |year=2020 |title=Ensiklopedia Suku Bangsa di Provinsi Papua Barat |location=Yogyakarta |publisher=Penerbit Kepel Press |isbn=978-602-356-318-0}}

  • Misool Timur District: Tumolol, Lenmalas, Lenmalas Timur Barat, Audam, Foley, and Eduai villages
  • Misool Utara District: Atkari and Salafen villages
  • Misool Barat District: Magei village

Phonology

The phonology of the Matbat language is summarized below:{{Cite book |last=Remijsen |first=Bert |title=Nouns and Verbs in Magey Matbat |publisher=Australian National University |year=2010 |location=Michael C. Ewing and Marian Klamer (eds.), East Nusantara: typological and areal analyses |pages=281–311}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ Consonant sounds

!

! Labial

! Alveolar

! Palatal

! Velar

! Glottal

Plosive

|{{IPA link|p}} {{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|t}} {{IPA link|d}}

|

|{{IPA link|k}} {{IPA link|g}}

|

Fricative

| style="border-right: 0;" |{{IPA link|f}}

| style="border-right: 0;" |{{IPA link|s}}

|

| style="border-right: 0;" |

|{{IPA link|h}}

Nasal

| width="20px" style="border-right: 0;" |{{IPA link|m}}

| width="20px" style="border-right: 0;" |{{IPA link|n}}

|

| width="20px" style="border-right: 0;" |{{IPA link|ŋ}}

|

Lateral

|

|{{IPA link|l}}

|

|

|

Glide

|

|

|{{IPA link|j}}

|{{IPA link|w}}

|

{{IPA|/j/}} can be heard freely as {{IPA|[ʝ]}} or {{IPA|[ɟ]}} in word-initial position.{{Cite book|title=Word-Prosodic Systems of Raja Ampat Languages|last=Remijsen|first=A. C. L.|publisher=Leiden University|year=2002|location=Leiden}}

class="wikitable"

|+ Vowel sounds

!

! Front

! Back

Close

| align="center" |{{IPA link|i}}

| align="center" |{{IPA link|u}}

rowspan="2" | Mid

| align="center" |{{IPA link|e}}

| align="center" |{{IPA link|o}}

align="center" |{{IPA link|ɛ}}

| align="center" |{{IPA link|ɔ}}

align="center"

! Open

| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|a}}

= Tones =

Matbat has five lexical tones: high falling {{IPA|˥˩}} 41, high {{IPA|˦}} 3, low rising {{IPA|˩˨}} 12, low level {{IPA|˩}} 1, and low falling {{IPA|˨˩}} 21, which in open syllables has a peaking allophone, {{IPA|˩˨˩}} 121. Most Matbat words are monosyllabic; additional syllables in polysyllabic words are often weak and toneless, though a few words do have two tonic syllables. Examples of some of the longer monomorphemic words are {{IPA|/kamow˩˨/|lang=xmt}} 'star', {{IPA|/wuj˦te/|lang=xmt}} 'sea shore', {{IPA|/sapu˥˩luj˩˨/|lang=xmt}} 'round', {{IPA|/bim˦bom˩˨˩pu/|lang=xmt}} 'butterfly'.

Evolution

Tonogenesis in Matbat remains unclear. Some Matbat reflexes of Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) proto-forms are listed below.{{Cite book |last=Blust |first=Robert |title=The Austronesian Languages |publisher=Pacific Linguistics |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-922185-07-5 |edition=Revised |location=Canberra |hdl=1885/10191 |author-link=Robert Blust}}{{Rp|658–659}}

  • PMP {{lang|mis|*bunuq}} > Mayá {{lang|xmt|bu³n}} 'kill'
  • PMP {{lang|mis|*penuq}} > {{lang|xmt|fo¹²n}} 'full'
  • PMP {{lang|mis|*salaq}} > {{lang|xmt|sa³l}} 'error'
  • PMP {{lang|mis|*qateluR}} (> {{lang|mis|*teluR}}) > {{lang|xmt|to¹²l}} 'egg'
  • PMP {{lang|mis|*matay}} > {{lang|xmt|ma¹²t}} 'die'
  • PMP {{lang|mis|*kutu}} > {{lang|xmt|u³t}} 'louse'

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

{{refbegin}}

  • {{Cite book |last=Remijsen |first=Bert |url=https://www.lotpublications.nl/Documents/049_fulltext.pdf |title=Word-Prosodic Systems of Raja Ampat Languages |publisher=Leiden University |year=2001 |isbn=90-76864-09-8 |pages=89–104 |chapter=A Second Ra Tone Language: Matbat}}

{{refend}}

{{Languages of Indonesia}}

{{Halmahera–Cenderawasih languages}}

{{Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages}}

Category:South Halmahera–West New Guinea languages

Category:Languages of Western New Guinea

Category:Tonal languages in non-tonal families