Selayar language
# Selayar language

Selayar or Selayarese is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by about 100,000 people on the island of Selayar in South Sulawesi province, $Indonesia.^{:210}$

## Phonology

### Vowels

| | Front | Back |
| - | - | - |
| High | i | u |
| Mid | e | o |
| Low | a | a |

Vowels are lengthened when stressed and in an open syllable.

**Nasalization**

Nasalization extends from nasal consonants to the following vowels, continuing until blocked by an intonation break or a consonant other than a glottal stop:

    [lamẽãĩʔĩ ãːsu] "A dog urinated on him."
    [sassaʔ lamẽãĩʔĩ | ʔaːsu lataiːʔiʔi] "A lizard urinated on him, and a dog defecated on $him."^{:225–226}$

### Consonants

| | | Bilabial | Coronal | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Plosive | prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑɡ | |
| Plosive | voiced | b | d | ɟ | ɡ | |
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t̪ | | k | ʔ |
| Fricative | Fricative | | s | | | h |
| Lateral | Lateral | | l | | | |
| Rhotic | Rhotic | | ɹ | | | |

Of the coronals, the voiceless stop is dental, while the others are alveolar.

## Morphology

Selayarese intransitive verbs index pronominal arguments via an absolutive $enclitic.^{:162}$

a'lumpa'=a

jump=1S

a'lumpa'=a

jump=1S

'I jump'

mangang=a

tired=1S

mangang=a

tired=1S

'I am tired'

In transitive verbs the less agent-like argument is indexed by the absolutive $enclitic.^{:163}$

ku=isse'=i

1S=know=3S

ku=isse'=i

1S=know=3S

'I know him'

