Rejang language

Rejang is not obviously close to other Malayo-Polynesian languages in Sumatra. McGinn (2009) classified it among the Bidayuh languages of Borneo, closest to Bukar–Sadong. According to the source, these languages shared raising of *a to *ə word-finally, or in final syllables except those ending in velar consonants *k, *ŋ.{{Cite book |title=Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift for Bob Blust |last=McGinn |first=Richard |publisher=Pacific Linguistics |year=2009 |editor-last=Adelaar |editor-first=Alexander |pages=397–410 |chapter=24. Out-of-Borneo subgrouping hypothesis for Rejang: re-weighing the evidence |access-date=29 April 2013 |editor-last2=Pawley |editor-first2=Andre |chapter-url=http://www.ohio.edu/people/mcginn/Out_of_Borneo_Hypothesis.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191035/http://www.ohio.edu/people/mcginn/Out_of_Borneo_Hypothesis.pdf |archive-date=2 January 2014 |url-status=dead}} It may be that it is related to the newly described language Nasal, but that is speculative at this point.{{Citation |title=Request for New Language Code Element in ISO 639-3 |url=http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/cr_files/2007-198_nsy.pdf |work=ISO 639-3 Registration Authority}} Robert Blust and Alexander Smith classified Rejang as part of Greater North Borneo languages (2017a, 2017b).{{sfn|Blust|2010|pp=44, 47}}{{sfn|Smith|2017a|p=346–364}}{{sfn|Smith|2017b|p=459–460}}

Rejang has five different dialects. Speakers of each dialects are able to communicate with one another, in spite of lexical and phonological differences. The four dialects of Rejangs are Curup, Lebong, Kepahiang, and Utara. Among all dialects, Awes dialect is the hardest for the speakers of other dialects. {{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Rejang was written with the Rejang script for a long time.{{Citation |title=Rejang (Redjang, Kaganga) |url=https://scriptsource.org/scr/Rjng |access-date=30 May 2019 |publisher=ScriptSource (developed and maintained by SIL International)}} The script is thought to predate the introduction of Islam to the area in the 12th century CE, although the earliest attested document has been dated to the mid-18th century. It is traditionally written on bamboo, buffalo horn, bark or copper plates. It was only recently{{When?|date=December 2022}} that the Latin alphabet was introduced as a way of writing the language.

A trill {{IPA|/r/}} is also present, but only in loanwords.{{Cite book|last=Aichele|first=W.|title=A Fragmentary Sketch of the Rejang Language|publisher=Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.|year=1984|location=Materials for a Rejang-Indonesian-English dictionary (Pacific Linguistics: Series D, 58.)}}

The following is a sample text in Rejang, of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (by the United Nations):

:{{Lang|rej|Kutê tun laher mêrdeka, tmuan hok-hok gik srai. Kutê nagiak-ba akêa peker ngen atêi, kêrno o kêlok-nê bêkuat-ba do ngen luyên lêm asai sêpasuak.}}

Gloss (word-to-word):

:Article 1 – All human was born independent, has an equal rights. They are endowed a way to think and heart; then they need to {{Clarify|reason=is "be friend" correct or a typo for "befriend"?|date=December 2022|text=be friend}} each other in the taste of brotherhood.

Translation (grammatical):

:Article 1 – All human beings are born free and equal in rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

{{reflist}}

• {{cite journal |last=Blust |first=Robert |year=2010 |title=The Greater North Borneo Hypothesis |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |publisher=University of Hawai'i Press |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=44–118 |doi=10.1353/ol.0.0060 |jstor=40783586 |s2cid=145459318 }}
• {{Cite book |last=MacGinn |first=Richard |url=http://sealang.net/archives/nusa/pdf/nusa-v14.pdf |title=Outline of Rejang Syntax |date=1982 |publisher=Universitas Atma Jaya |series=NUSA 14 |location=Jakarta}}
• {{Cite thesis |last=Smith |first=Alexander D. |title=The Languages of Borneo: A Comprehensive Classification |date=2017 |degree=Ph.D. |publisher=University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa |url=http://ling.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/SMITH_Alexander_Final_Dissertation.pdf |ref={{harvid|Smith|2017a}}}}
• {{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Alexander D. |title=The Western Malayo-Polynesian Problem |date=2017 |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |publisher=University of Hawai'i Press |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=435–490 |doi=10.1353/ol.2017.0021 |s2cid=149377092 |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/article/677288 |ref={{harvid|Smith|2017b}}|url-access=subscription }}

{{Incubator|code= rej/Natet}}

{{commons category|Rejang script}}

• Richard McGinn, Archive of Materials for the Study of the Rejang of Sumatra. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924071614/http://www.ohio.edu/people/mcginn/rejanglang.htm|date=24 September 2015|title=}}

{{Bornean languages}}

{{Austronesian languages}}

{{Languages of Indonesia}}

Category:Greater North Borneo languages

Category:Languages of Indonesia