A Preliminary Study of the Subdialects of Sarawak Malay based on Phonological Features and Lexical Words

Abstract

This article is a preliminary comparison of the phonological features of the subdialects of Sarawak Malay. The comparison covers basic phonological features that include phonemes inventory and their distribution in words, diphthongs, and vowel and consonant clusters. The survey is important as the basis for future research on the subdialect mapping of Sarawak Malay. Without the fundamental description of each subdialect in the aspects of phonology, lexical and, to some extent, grammar, it is difficult to research on the development of Malay subdialects in Sarawak. The data for this study were compiled by the present authors and also from the works of past researchers on the subject. The subdialects compared include those of Kuching, Tambirat, Kabong, and Debak, which also represent four focal areas of the Malay population in Sarawak. Two subdialect clusters were identified, namely the subdialect cluster of Kuching and another cluster spoken by the coastal Malays in Western Sarawak. The former group includes varieties in Malay villages in Bahagian Kuching, the surrounding basin of Sg. Sarawak, Sematan, Santubong, and Bako. The latter group includes varieties in the Kalaka-Saribas area in Bahagian Sri Aman and Betong, as well as in Bahagian Samarahan in Btg Sadong and its surrounding areas, namely Asajaya, Simunjan, and Sebuyau. This latter group is more phonologically heterogeneous than the former group, and shares some distinctive phonological features, such as the 8-vowel system, the absence of phoneme /-É£/ at word end, as well as diversity in diphthongs. At the same time, they also display phonological differences, such as the realisation of phoneme /-a/ to /-ə/ or /-o/, or maintenance of /-a/ at word end