Tutong language

Tutong is an Austronesian language and belongs to the Rejang–Baram group of languages spoken in Brunei as well as Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia.{{Cite journal |last=Martin |first=Peter W. |date=1995 |title=Whiter the Indigenous Languages of Brunei Darussalam? |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |language=en |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=27–43 |doi=10.2307/3623110|jstor=3623110 }} Tutong is related to the Belait language with roughly 54% of basic vocabulary being cognate.{{Cite book |last=Nothofer |first=Bernd |title=Papers in Austronesian Linguistics No. 1 |date=1991 |publisher=The Australian National University |isbn=0-85883-402-2 |editor-last=Steinhauer |editor-first=H. |series=Pacific Linguistics Series A-81 |location=Canberra |pages=151–176 |language=en |chapter=The Languages of Brunei Darussalam |doi=10.15144/PL-A81.151 |doi-access=free}}

Today, many speakers of Tutong are shifting away from the traditional language and code-mix or code-shift with Brunei Malay, Standard Malay and English.{{Cite journal |last=Clynes |first=Adrian |date=2012 |title=Dominant Language Transfer in Minority Language Documentation Projects: Some Examples from Brunei |journal=Language Documentation and Conservation |language=en |volume=6 |pages=253–267 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10125/4539}} The language has been given a vitality rating of 2.5 based on a scale of 0–6 that uses the measures of the rate of transmission to future generations, the level of official support, and the geographical concentration of speakers.{{Cite journal |last=Coluzzi |first=Paolo |date=2010 |title=Endangered Languages in Borneo: A Survey among the Iban and Murut (Lun Bawang) in Temburong, Brunei |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |language=en |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=119–143 |doi=10.1353/ol.0.0063|s2cid=144349072 }} This means it is considered endangered.

Nonetheless, there is interest in revitalising the language. Since 2012, a module has been taught in Tutong at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.{{Cite journal |last=McLellan |first=James |date=2014 |title=Strategies for Revitalizing Endangered Borneo Languages: A Comparison Between Negara Brunei Darussalam and Sarawak, Malaysia. |url=http://fass.ubd.edu.bn/SEA/vol14/SEA-v14-mclellan.pdf |journal=Southeast Asia|language=en |volume=14 |pages=14–22}} Similarly, the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (Brunei's language agency) published a Tutong–Malay, Malay–Tutong dictionary in 1991 and a word list of several Brunei languages in 2011.

• Vowels /i, ɛ, a, u/ are heard as [e, ə, ʌ, o] in lax positions.
• /ɛ, a/ can also be freely heard as [ə, ʌ] in syllable-initial positions.

• Sounds /p, k, m/ may also be geminated as [pː, kː, mː].
• Other sounds /z, ʃ, x, h/ may occur from loanwords.{{Cite book |last=Pustaka |first=Dewan Bahasa dan |title=Kamus Tutong-Melayu, Melayu-Tutong |publisher=Bandar Seri Begawan: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei. |year=1991}}

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• {{Cite book |last=Haji Ramlee Tunggal |date=2005 |title=Struktur Bahasa Tutong |trans-title=Tutong Language Structure |location=Bandar Seri Begawan |publisher=Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei |language=ms}}
• {{Cite thesis |last=Noor Azam Haji-Othman |title=Linguistic Diversity in Negara Brunei Darussalam: An Ecological Perspective |date=2005 |degree=PhD |publisher=University of Leicester |language=en |hdl=2381/30897 |hdl-access=free}}

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{{Greater North Borneo languages}}

{{Bornean languages}}

{{Languages of Brunei}}

Category:Languages of Brunei

Category:Berawan–Lower Baram languages