Mintil (alternatively Batek Tanum, Tanɨm, or Mayah) is an
Aslian language
The Aslian languages () are the southernmost branch of Austroasiatic languages spoken on the Malay Peninsula. They are the languages of many of the ''Orang Asli'', the aboriginal inhabitants of the peninsula. The total number of native speakers o ...
of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
. It is considered to be a variety of the
Batek language
Batek is an Aslian language of Malaysia, spoken by the Batek people
The Batek (or Bateq) people are an indigenous Orang Asli people (numbering about 1,519 in 2000); belonging to the Semang group, who live in the rainforest of peninsular Malay ...
.
Background
In the late 1960s, Geoffrey Benjamin had come across speakers of Mintil among patients of an Orang Asli hospital at Ulu Gombak, just outside
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
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, coordinates =
, sub ...
.
Names and villages
The people are commonly referred to as
Batek. There are 400 speakers of Mintil in
Lipis District
The Lipis District is a district located in north-west of Pahang, Malaysia. The district covers an area of 5,198 km2. Lipis district is bordered by Cameron Highlands and Perak on the west, Jerantut on the east, Kelantan and Raub on the no ...
,
Pahang
Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...
who call themselves ‘in-group people’, ‘people of the
Tanum River Tanum may refer to:
* Tanum Municipality in Sweden
* Tanum, Norway in Bærum, Norway
* Tanum (company), a Norwegian bookstore chain owned by Egmont
* Mintil language
Mintil (alternatively Batek Tanum, Tanɨm, or Mayah) is an Aslian language ...
’, and . Their villages are:
*Kampung Sungai Garam (Tɔm Mayɛm) (4° 27’ 12” N, 102° 3’ 20” E; 2.5 km south of Kampung Dada Kering)
*Kampung Bencah Kelubi (Batuˀ Jalaŋ) (4° 38’ 23” N, 101° 58’ 45” E; 4 km east of Kampung Telok Gunong)
*Kampung Paya Keladi (Tɔm Hɨyaŋ) (4° 24’ 18” N, 101° 55’ 27” E; 10 km north of Kampung Chegar Perah)
*Kampung Tɔm Kəlkɔəˀ (4° 34’ 39” N, 101° 59’ 43” E; 2 km north of Kampung Kubang Rusa)
See also
*
Batek language
Batek is an Aslian language of Malaysia, spoken by the Batek people
The Batek (or Bateq) people are an indigenous Orang Asli people (numbering about 1,519 in 2000); belonging to the Semang group, who live in the rainforest of peninsular Malay ...
References
{{Austro-Asiatic languages
Languages of Malaysia
Aslian languages