Mukomuko Language
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The Mukomuko language (''bahaso Mukomuko'') is a language in the
Minangkabau language Minangkabau (Minangkabau: , Jawi script: ; ) is an Austronesian language spoken by the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, the western part of Riau, South Aceh Regency, the northern part of Bengkulu and Jambi, also in several cities throughout Ind ...
family spoken by the Mukomuko people, a subgroup of the
Minangkabau people Minangkabau people (; ; ) are an Austronesian people, Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Western Sumatra region on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Minangkabau's West Sumatera homelands was th ...
living in Mukomuko Regency in northern
Bengkulu Bengkulu (), historically known as Bencoolen, is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southwest coast of Sumatra. It was formed on 18 November 1968 by separating out the area of the historic Bencoolen Residency from the province of ...
that borders
West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...
. In 1993, there were an estimated 26,000 Mukomuko speakers. Mukomuko is closely related to the Minangkabau language and shares similarities with the Pancung Soal dialect, spoken in the southern part of Pesisir Selatan Regency in
West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...
. The distribution area of this dialect also extends to the northern part of Mukomuko Regency. Geographically, Mukomuko is situated on the border between Bengkulu and West Sumatra, which fosters interaction between the people of Mukomuko and the Minangkabau. This proximity results in a culturally rich environment, representing the convergence of two or more cultures. The native inhabitants of northern Mukomuko are the Minangkabau people. Traditionally, culturally, and linguistically, they are closely related to the Pesisir Selatan of West Sumatra. In the past, the Mukomuko region was part of the Pesisir Selatan diaspora of the Minangkabau. In addition to the Minangkabau, the southern part of Mukomuko regency is inhabited by the Pekal people. The Mukomuko region is also a Minangkabau diaspora (''rantau'') area, often referred to as the ''Riak nan Berdebur'' region, along the west coast from
Padang Padang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of West Sumatra. It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 909,040 at the 2020 Census;Bad ...
to South Bengkulu. However, since the
British colonial period The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
, the Mukomuko region has been politically separated from West Sumatra. Since then, the Mukomuko people have been separated from their relatives in West Sumatra, which continued to the Dutch colonial period, the Japanese occupation, and into the independence era. Centuries of separation have resulted in the Mukomuko language gradually diverging from standard Minangkabau, particularly in its vocabulary. However, despite these changes, mutual intelligibility between the two dialects generally persists. The Minangkabau language has been regarded as the ''
lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...
'' in northern Bengkulu, exerting its influence on neighboring languages like Bengkulu Malay, particularly in terms of phonology and vocabulary.


Classification

Mukomuko belongs to the
Malayic languages The Malayic languages are a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian language family. The two most prominent members of this branch are Indonesian and Malay. Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia and has evolved ...
branch of the
Malayo-Polynesian The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. The Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken by the Austronesian peoples outside of Taiwan, in the island nations of Southeast ...
subgroup of the
Austronesian language The Austronesian languages ( ) are a language family widely spoken throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, parts of Mainland Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the islands of the Pacific Ocean and Taiwan (by Taiwanese indigenous peoples). They are spoken b ...
family, which also includes Malay and standard Indonesian. Linguistically, it shares a strong resemblance with the Minangkabau language, particularly the Pesisir Selatan dialect spoken in the neighboring Pesisir Selatan Regency. Lexically, the Mukomuko language shares approximately 86% to 90% of its vocabulary with the Pesisir Selatan dialect. Due to these linguistic similarities, some research suggests classifying Mukomuko as a dialect of Minangkabau.


Geographical distribution and usage

The majority of Mukomuko speakers lives in North Mukomuko District and South Mukomuko District of the Mukomuko Regency in northern
Bengkulu Bengkulu (), historically known as Bencoolen, is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southwest coast of Sumatra. It was formed on 18 November 1968 by separating out the area of the historic Bencoolen Residency from the province of ...
. The capital of North Mukomuko District is Mukomuko, while the capital of South Mukomuko District is Ipuh. North Mukomuko District comprises 39 hamlets, and South Mukomuko District comprises 30 hamlets. In addition to Mukomuko, the community in these districts also speaks Javanese and Kerinci. Javanese is primarily spoken by transmigrants from
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
, whereas Kerinci is spoken in the hamlets of Sungai Ipuh, Pondok Baru, and Sungai Jarinjing in North Mukomuko District. The geographical range of Mukomuko language speakers extends from Pondok Suguh hamlet in the south to Lubuk Pinang hamlet in the north. Mukomuko generally only functions as a social language. It is used within family and community environments in daily life in informal settings. During wedding ceremonies, public meetings, mosque sermons, and other ceremonies, the Mukomuko people tend to code-switch between Indonesian and Mukomuko. Meanwhile, in government offices, schools, and formal settings, Indonesian is used. However, in the early grades of elementary school, teachers from the Mukomuko area often use the Mukomuko language to present the material. In markets and among the general public, the Mukomuko language is used among members of the Mukomuko community, while between people from different areas, a mix of Mukomuko and Indonesian or other regional languages is used. As of 2024, recognizing the importance of preserving local languages, the regional government of Mukomuko has initiated the inclusion of regional languages such as Rejang, Mukomuko, and Serawai in the school curriculum.


Phonology


Vowels

Like other
Malayic languages The Malayic languages are a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian language family. The two most prominent members of this branch are Indonesian and Malay. Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia and has evolved ...
, there are five different
vowel A vowel is a speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract, forming the nucleus of a syllable. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness a ...
s in Mukomuko, which are /i/, /e/, /a/, /u/, and /o/. The Mukomuko language mostly follows the standard Indonesian orthography. The table below illustrates the vowel chart of the Mukomuko language.


Consonants

There are twenty
consonant In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract, except for the h sound, which is pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Examples are and pronou ...
s in Mukomuko, which are /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /ɡ/, /ʔ/, /t͡ɕ/, /d͡ʑ/, /ɣ/, /r/, /s/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /h/, /ŋ/, /ɲ/, /w/, and /j/. The table below illustrates the consonant chart of the Mukomuko language. Orthographic note: The sounds are represented orthographically by their symbols as above, except: * // is written ⟨c⟩ * // is written ⟨gh⟩ * // is written ⟨j⟩ * // is written ⟨ng⟩ * // is written ⟨ny⟩ * // is written ⟨y⟩


Diphthongs

In Mukomuko, two types of
diphthong A diphthong ( ), also known as a gliding vowel or a vowel glide, is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: that is, the tongue (and/or other parts of ...
s are found: descending diphthongs and ascending diphthongs. The descending diphthongs include: * /ia̯/: ''keriang'' ('dry'), ''petiang'' ('important') * /ea̯/: ''loceang'' ('bell'), ''obeang'' ('screwdriver') * /ua̯/: ''jatuang'' ('heart'), ''gunuang'' ('mountain') * /oa̯/: ''panoloang'' ('helper'), ''tekoang'' ('can') The ascending diphthongs include: * /oj/: ''ploy'' ('door cloth'), ''loyh'' ('loose') * /aw/: ''suraw'' ('mosque'), ''kebaw'' ('buffalo') * /aj/: ''makay'' ('use'), ''ratay'' ('chain') * /uj/: ''kabuyh'' ('escape'), ''kakuyh'' ('outhouse') In addition, there seem to be sounds similar to diphthongs in some basic vocabulary. These sounds are found within a single syllable and are always followed by a consonant. The most common consonants that follow these sounds are nasal consonants, namely /ŋ/, /n/, and /m/. Examples are: * /ie̯/: ''anjieng'' ('dog'), ''gajien'' ('salary') * /ue̯/: ''minuen'' ('drinks'), ''acuen'' ('poison')


Stress

Stress in Mukomuko can be categorized into word stress, which includes stress in base words, reduplicated words, compound words, and
affix In linguistics, an affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word or word form. The main two categories are Morphological derivation, derivational and inflectional affixes. Derivational affixes, such as ''un-'', ''-ation' ...
ed words, and sentence stress, which includes basic sentence stress and stress in coordinated compound sentences. Word stress in Mukomuko is not
phonemic A phoneme () is any set of similar speech sounds that are perceptually regarded by the speakers of a language as a single basic sound—a smallest possible phonetic unit—that helps distinguish one word from another. All languages con ...
. Phonetically, three types of stress can be distinguished: primary stress ˆ secondary stress Œ and weak stress which is not marked. Primary stress occurs on the final syllable of the word, secondary stress on the initial syllable, and weak stress on other syllables. Primary stress in base words is placed on the final syllable, secondary stress on the initial syllable, while other syllables receive weak stress. Reduplicated words receive primary stress on the final syllable of the second word, secondary stress on the final syllable of the first word, and other syllables receive weak stress. The distribution of stress in compound words is similar to that in reduplicated words, with primary stress on the final syllable of the second word, secondary stress on the final syllable of the first word, and weak stress on the other syllables. Affixed words receive primary stress on the final syllable, secondary stress on the initial syllable, and weak stress on the other syllables. Lastly, sentence stress is the strong emphasis placed on the emphasized words in a sentence.


Grammar

Along with Indonesian, Malay, and other related languages, the word order in Mukomuko is typically subject-verb-object (SVO). While there are notable exceptions, the grammar structure of the Mukomuko language shares many similarities with Indonesian and Malay.


Affixes

There are three types of affixes in Mukomuko:
prefixes A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed. Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...
,
suffixes In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...
, and
infixes An infix is an affix inserted inside a word stem (an existing word or the core of a family of words). It contrasts with '' adfix,'' a rare term for an affix attached to the outside of a stem, such as a prefix or suffix. When marking text for i ...
. Similar to Malay, Mukomuko words are composed of a root or a root plus derivational affixes. The root is the primary lexical unit of a word and is usually bisyllabic, of the shape CV(C)CV(C). Affixes are "glued" onto roots (which are either nouns or verbs) to alter or expand the primary meaning associated with a given root, effectively generating new words, for example, ''baco'' ('to read') may become ''mambaco'' ('reading'), ''mambacokan'' ('reading for'), ''dibaco'' ('being read'), ''pembaco'' ('reader'), ''bacoan'' ('reading material'), ''terbaco'' ('accidentally read').


Prefixes

The prefixes found in Mukomuko are ''N-'', ''ba-'', ''di-'', ''ta-'', ''paN-'', and ''sa-''. The combination of the prefix ''N-'' with base words appears in various forms, such as ''mang-'', ''ma-'', ''many-'', ''m-'', and ''n-''. These variations of the ''N-'' form are called allomorphs of the ''N-'' prefix, and their occurrence is caused by the influence of the phoneme that begins the base word. * ''N-'' + ''ambiq'' ('take'): ''mangambiq'' ('taking') * ''N-'' + ''akeq'' ('carry'): ''mangakeq'' ('carrying') The attachment of the prefix ''ba-'' to base words appears in two forms, namely ''ba-'' and ''bagh''. These variations are considered allomorphs of the ''ba-'' prefix, and the variation is caused by the influence of the phoneme that begins the base word. * ''ba-'' + ''ghiang'' ('happy'): ''baghiang'' ('be happy') * ''ba-'' + ''janjing'' ('promise'): ''bajanjing'' ('to promise') The attachment of the prefix ''di-'' to base words only appears in one form, which is ''di-''. * ''di-'' + ''dendo'' ('fine'): ''didendo'' ('fined') * ''di-'' + ''jua'' ('sell'): ''dijua'' ('for sale') The attachment of the prefix ''ka- t''o base words only appears in one form, which is ''ka-''. * ''ka-'' + ''tuo'' ('old'): ''katuo'' ('leader') * ''ka-'' + ''duo'' ('two'): ''kaduo'' ('second') The attachment of the prefix ''ta- t''o base words only appears in one form, which is ''ta-''. * ''ta- + acam'' ('threat'): ''taancam'' ('threatened') * ''ta- + dekeq'' ('close'): ''tadekeq'' ('closest') The attachment of the prefix ''paN-'' appears in several forms, namely ''pam-, pan-, pany-, pang-, pange-, and pa-''. These variations are considered allomorphs of the ''paN-'' prefix, and the variation is caused by the influence of the phoneme that begins the base word. * ''paN-'' + beling ('buy'): ''pambeling'' ('buyer') * ''paN-'' + ''dapeq'' ('obtain'): ''pandapeq'' ('opinion') Lastly, the attachment of the prefix ''sa- t''o base words only appears in one form, which is ''sa-.'' * ''sa-'' + ''pinggan'' ('plate'): ''sapinggan'' ('a plate') * ''sa-'' + ''dikiq'' ('little'): ''sadikiq'' ('a little')


Suffixes

The suffixes present in Mukomuko are only ''-an'' and ''-nyo.'' Imperative meanings in this language are not expressed through suffixation, but rather through other means, such as the use of the particle ''-lah'' or the prefix ''di-''. For example: * ''Sambalah udang ko!'' ('Add sambal to this prawn!') * ''Hitamlah alis mato ban!'' ('Blacken your eyebrows!') The position of the suffixes ''-an'' and ''-nyo'' is located at the end of the base word. For example: * ''aghing'' ('day') + ''-an'': ''aghian'' ('daily') * ''paneh'' ('hot') + ''-nyo'': ''panehnyo'' ('it's so hot')


Infixes

In the Mukomuko language, there are three infixes, namely ''-ar-'', ''-al-,'' and ''-am-''. Word formation through suffixes on base words is very limited and only occurs in certain words. For example: * ''-ar-'' + ''suIieng'' ('whistle'): ''sarulieng'' ('flute') * ''-am-'' + ''geta'' ('shake'): ''gameta'' ('shaking')


Reduplication

There are four types of
reduplication In linguistics, reduplication is a Morphology (linguistics), morphological process in which the Root (linguistics), root or Stem (linguistics), stem of a word, part of that, or the whole word is repeated exactly or with a slight change. The cla ...
in Mukomuko, which are full reduplication, partial reduplication, reduplication combined with the process of affixation and reduplication with phoneme changes. Examples of full reduplication are: * ''makan-makan'' ('eating out') * ''malung-malung'' ('shy-shy') * ''sesah-sesah'' ('wash-wash') Examples of partial reduplication are: * ''N-'' + ''caghing'' ('look'): ''macaghing-caghing'' ('look around') * ''ba- + kupu'' ('gather'): ''bakupu-kupu'' ('gather together') * ''ta- + senyum'' ('smile'): ''tasenyum-senyum'' ('smiling') Examples of reduplication combined with the process of affixation are: * ''sa-'' + ''cepeq'' ('fast') + ''-nyo'': ''sacepeq-cepeqnyo'' ('as fast as possible') * ''sa-'' + ''tingging'' ('high') + ''-nyo'': ''satingging-tinggingnyo'' ('as high as possible') * ''sa-'' + ''lueh'' ('wide') + ''-nyo'': ''salueh-luehnyo'' ('as wide as possible') Examples of reduplication with phoneme changes are: * ''asa-usu'' ('origin') * ''bulaq-baliq'' ('back and forth') * ''kedap-kedip'' ('blinking')


Nouns

In Mukomuko,
noun In grammar, a noun is a word that represents a concrete or abstract thing, like living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, and ideas. A noun may serve as an Object (grammar), object or Subject (grammar), subject within a p ...
s can be identified from two perspectives:
semantic Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...
and
syntactic In linguistics, syntax ( ) is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure (constituency ...
. Semantically, nouns refer to humans, animals, objects, and concepts or ideas. Words like ''imam'' ('priest'), ''jawing'' ('cow'), ''bining'' ('wife'), and ''pamalaih'' ('lazy person'), for instance, are nouns because they refer to humans, animals, objects, and concepts or ideas. Nouns tend to occupy the functions of subject, object, or complement in a sentence. For example: * ''Kaqkung malopeq ka batang aie''. ('Frog jumps into the river') * ''Baq mangambiq kayung.'' ('Dad is taking the wood') In the example above, the words ''kaqkung'' ('frog') and ''kayung'' ('wood') are nouns, because each of these words fulfills the function of subject, object and complement. Nouns can be preceded by the negator ''bukan'' ('not'). For example: * ''Itung bukan jawing.'' ('That is not a cow') In the sentence above, the word ''jawing'' ('cow') is classified as a noun. Generally, nouns can be followed by adjectives either directly or with the intermediary word ''na'' ('that'). For example, the words ''sapelo'' ('papaya') and ''giging'' ('teeth') are nouns because they can combine to form ''sapelo kuning'' ('yellow papaya') and ''giging putih'' ('white teeth') or ''sapelo na kuning'' ('papaya that is yellow') and ''giging na putih'' ('teeth that are white'). Nouns in Mukomuko can be either base nouns or derived nouns. Base nouns can be general or specific in nature. For instance, ''gambar'' ('picture'), ''malam'' ('night'), and ''meja'' ('table') are general base nouns, while ''adiq'' ('younger sibling'), ''batang'' ('stem'), and ''iceq'' ('grain') are specific base nouns. Lastly, in derived forms, nouns can receive the affixes ''ka-, pa-, -ar-, -al-,'' and ''-am-''. Words such as ''katuo'' ('leader'), ''palupo'' ('forgetful person'), ''saruling'' ('flute'), ''gelembung'' ('bubble'), and ''kamunieng'' (murraya paniculata''') are examples of derived nouns that have received these affixes.


Adjectives

Adjective An adjective (abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that describes or defines a noun or noun phrase. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Traditionally, adjectives are considered one of the main part of speech, parts of ...
s can be modified by comparison markers such as ''kurang'' ('less'), ''lebih'' ('more'), and ''paling'' ('most'). Examples are ''kurang eloq'' ('less good'), ''lebih kumuh'' ('more dirty'), and ''paling tinggi'' ('the tallest'). Adjectives can also be intensified with
modifiers In linguistics, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure which ''modifies'' the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the adjective "red" acts as a modifier in the noun phrase "red ball", provi ...
like ''sangat'' ('very') and ''nian'' ('extremely'). Examples are ''sangat pandi'' ('very foolish') and ''tipih nian'' ('extremely thin'). Adjectives can be negated with the negator ''idaq'' ('not'), for example, ''idaq ghusaq'' ('not broken'), ''idaq ghaming'' ('not noisy'), and ''idalq lama'' ('not long'). Adjectives can be repeated with the prefix ''sa-'' and the suffix ''-nyo'', such as ''samasin-masinnyo'' ('as salty as it gets'), ''sagedang-gedangnyo'' ('as big as it gets'), and ''sakughuieh-kughuiehnyo'' ('as sharp as it gets'). In addition, adjectives in Mukomuko can be monomorphemic or polymorphemic. Words like ''masin'' ('salty'), ''gedang'' ('big'), ''ghaming'' ('noisy'), ''tingging'' ('tall'), ''eloq'' ('beautiful'), and ''tipih'' ('thin') are examples of monomorphemic adjectives. Polymorphemic adjectives can take the form of reduplication or compound words. Words like ''sighah-sighah'' ('red-red'), ''malung-malung'' ('shy-shy'), ''gedang-gedang'' ('big-big'), ''putih-putih'' ('white-white'), ''ghaiin-ghaiin'' ('diligent-diligent'), and ''tingging-tingging'' ('tall-tall') are examples of polymorphemic adjectives. Meanwhile, adjectives in compound word forms include ''gedang hating'' ('big-hearted'), ''kereh kapalo'' ('stubborn-headed'), ''gedang mulut'' ('big-mouthed'), ''begheq hating'' ('heavy-hearted'), ''itam manih'' ('dark-sweet'), and ''aluih buding'' ('gentle-minded').


Adverbs

In Mukomuko,
adverb An adverb is a word or an expression that generally modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a determiner, a clause, a preposition, or a sentence. Adverbs typically express manner, place, time, frequency, degree, or level of certainty by ...
s can also be monomorphemic or polymorphemic. Some adverbs are formed through affixation. Words like ''sangat'' ('very'), ''hinyo'' ('only'), ''capeq'' ('immediately'), ''jo'' ('just'), ''nian'' ('extremely'), ''talalung'' ('too much'), ''hapieng'' ('almost'), ''jaghang'' ('rarely'), ''coq'' ('often'), ''mukien'' ('maybe'), and ''teruih'' ('always') are examples of monomorphemic adverbs. Adverbs can also appear in reduplicated forms, such as ''cepeq-cepeq'' ('firmly'), ''lambeq-lambeq'' ('slowly'), ''noq-noq'' ('quietly'), and ''eloq-eloq'' ('carefully'). Then, words like ''saeloqnyo'' ('ideally'), ''sabenanyo'' ('actually'), ''besonyo'' ('usually'), ''betuqnyo'' ('apparently'), and ''ghasonyo'' ('feels like') are adverbs in affixed forms.


Pronouns


Personal pronouns

This table shows an overview over the most commonly and widely used
pronoun In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (Interlinear gloss, glossed ) is a word or a group of words that one may substitute for a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns have traditionally been regarded as one of the part of speech, parts of speech, but so ...
s of the Mukomuko language. The first person singular pronouns are ''ambo'', ''mbo'', and ''mbo''. The word ''ambo'', meaning 'I' or 'me', is used in both formal and informal situations. In other words, the usage of ''ambo'' in speech is common. The ''mbo'' form is used to indicate possession. However, to express possession, the word ''ambo'' is more frequently used, as in ''jawing ambo'' ('my cow'), ''ghumah ambo'' ('my house'), and ''oto ambo'' ('my car'). The word ''mbo'' also substitutes for ''ambo'', and in its usage, ''ambo'' is the one more commonly used. The first person plural pronouns are ''kaming'', ''kito'', and ''awaq,'' which all means 'we'. The word ''kaming'' is used in speech that refers to conversations with others on the speaker's side. Meanwhile, the words ''kito'' and ''awaq'' are used in speech that refers to both the speaker and the listener being addressed. The usage of the ''kito'' and ''awaq'' personas does not seem to indicate any difference in meaning, as both words can substitute for each other in the same context. The second person singular pronoun is ''aban'' or ''ban''. In context, the persona ''ban'' tends to indicate possession. However, ''aban'' is also often used to indicate possession. Additionally, at the beginning of sentences, ''aban'' frequently appears. However, in casual and less formal conversations, the position of ''aban'' at the beginning of sentences is often replaced by ''ban''. The second person plural pronouns are ''kamung'' ('you all') and ''aban kelagalo'' ('all of you'). The third person singular pronouns are ''inyo'' ('he' or 'she') and ''yo'' ('he/she' or '-nya'). The third person plural pronouns are ''ughang tung'' and ''nyo'', meaning 'they'. The usage of both types of third person pronouns can be interchangeable.


Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns Demonstratives (abbreviated ) are words, such as ''this'' and ''that'', used to indicate which entities are being referred to and to distinguish those entities from others. They are typically deictic, their meaning depending on a particular frame ...
in Mukomuko can be distinguished into general demonstrative pronouns and temporal demonstrative pronouns. General demonstrative pronouns include ''iko'' ('this') and ''itung'' ('that'). Referentially, the word ''iko'' refers to a reference close to the speaker, while ''itung'' refers to a reference far from the speaker. The usage of both types of demonstrative pronouns in sentences demonstrates the following. First, both pronouns may occur at the beginning, middle, and end of sentences. Second, at the beginning, middle, and end of sentences, the word ''iko'' can take the form ''iko'' and also ''ko'', especially in somewhat rapid speech, while the word ''itung'' always takes the form ''itung'' at the beginning of a sentence, and usually takes the form ''tung'' if appearing in the middle or at the end of a sentence. For example: * ''Iko/ko unggeh ambo'' ('That is my bird') * ''Itung/tung jawing sepo?'' ('Whose cow is that?') Temporal demonstrative pronouns include ''siko'' ('here') and ''sinon'' ('there'). The word ''siko'' refers to a nearby place, while the word ''sinon'' refers to a place far from the speaker. As temporal demonstrative pronouns, the words ''siko'' and ''sinon'' often combine with directional prepositions: ''di'' ('at'), ''ke'' ('to'), and ''daghing'' ('from'), thus becoming ''di siko'', ''ke siko'', ''daghing siko'', and ''di sinon'', ''ke sinon'', ''daghing sinon''. Additionally, there are also the words ''cemiko'' ('like this'), ''betugtu'' ('like that'), and ''modeko'' ('like that') which can be classified as demonstrative pronouns. These three pronouns refer to the meaning of 'thing' or 'matter'. The meaning of the pronoun ''modeko'' seems to encompass the meanings of both the pronouns ''cemiko'' and ''betugtu''.


Interrogative Pronouns

In speech,
interrogative pronouns An interrogative word or question word is a function word used to ask a question, such as ''what, which'', ''when'', ''where'', ''who, whom, whose'', ''why'', ''whether'' and ''how''. They are sometimes called wh-words, because in English most o ...
are used because the speaker wants to obtain information from the listener. The required information may concern people, things, choices, reasons, time, place, manner, tools, or companionship. Related to this, the use of various interrogative pronouns depends on what information is needed. The types of interrogative pronouns in Mukomuko are ''sepo'' ('who'), ''apo'' ('what'), ''mano'' ('which'), ''ngapo'' ('why'), ''pabilo'' ('when'), ''ke mana'' ('where to'), ''di mano'' ('where'), ''daghing mano'' ('from where'), ''dengan apo'' ('with what'), ''camano'' ('how'), and ''dengan sepo'' ('with whom').


Dialects

The Mukomuko language has two dialects, which are the northern dialect and the southern dialect. The northern dialect is spoken by speakers in the city of Mukomuko and its surrounding areas bordering
West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...
, while the southern dialect is spoken in the southern part of Mukomuko regency bordering
North Bengkulu Regency North Bengkulu is a regency (Indonesia), regency () of Bengkulu Province, Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra. It originally covered much of the northern part of Bengkulu Province, but on 25 February 2003 the most northwesterly districts were spli ...
. Both dialect speakers consider the northern dialect to be the
prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...
dialect because their ancestors originally inhabited the northern region. The differences between the two dialects are evident in phonetics and vocabulary variations. Phonetic variations between the two dialects involve systematic sound changes. Firstly, the sound itat the end of words in the northern dialect changes to ik Secondly, the sound irat the end of words in the Northern dialect changes to hin the southern dialect. Thirdly, the sound at the beginning of words in the northern dialect changes to hin the Southern dialect. Fourthly, the sound utat the end of words in the Nnrthern dialect changes to uqin the southern dialect. Furthermore, there are notable vocabulary distinctions between the two dialects. The following table presents a sample of words that exhibit differences between them: The differences between the two dialects can be influenced by other languages. The southern dialect is more influenced by other languages due to community mobility and the presence of transmigrants from other regions such as
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
.


Vocabulary

Mukomuko vocabulary has been heavily influenced by the
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see bel ...
, to the extent that it is now considered a dialect of Minangkabau. It is estimated that 90% of Mukomuko's vocabulary is derived from Minangkabau, specifically the Pesisir Selatan dialect. In addition, Mukomuko has also absorbed words from standard Indonesian, the official language of
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, as well as Javanese brought by transmigrants from
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
. There is a slight difference in vocabulary between the Mukomuko dialect spoken in the northern part of Mukomuko Regency and that spoken in the southern part, although they remain generally mutually intelligible. The table below provides examples of common Mukomuko vocabulary used on a daily basis in both the northern and southern dialects, along with their Minangkabau, Indonesian, and English translations.


Numerals


Directions


Personal Pronouns


Interrogatives Pronouns


Nouns


Verbs


Adjectives


Literature

Like the
Minangkabau people Minangkabau people (; ; ) are an Austronesian people, Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Western Sumatra region on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Minangkabau's West Sumatera homelands was th ...
, the people of Mukomuko are also renowned for their literary works, particularly their well-known
oral literature Oral literature, orature, or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung in contrast to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used v ...
. Oral literature in Mukomuko refers to a traditional form of storytelling that is passed down verbally. This type of literature is typically old, anonymous, and features a traditional style with content that is both captivating and reflective of a society that existed before the advent of writing. Mukomuko's oral literature embodies these characteristics: it is transmitted orally, is of ancient origin, lacks known authorship, and portrays the cultural products of Mukomuko society from the past. This oral tradition is expressed in both
prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...
and poetry. Existing prose forms of Mukomuko's oral literature include folk tales such as ''Dendam Tajelo, Unggen Bemban, Gadih Basanai, Jodah Sarabing'', and ''Bujang Tuo.'' Below is an example of the traditional Mukomuko '' Gurindam'', a type of irregular verse form of poetry renowned throughout the
Malay world The Malay world or Malay realm (Indonesian language, Indonesian/Malay language, Malay: or ) is a concept or an expression that has been used by different authors and groups over time to denote several different notions, derived from varied in ...
. It is presented alongside its Indonesian and English translations: Note: 'Maleoboro' refers to
Fort Marlborough Fort Marlborough (Indonesian Benteng Marlborough, also known as Malabero) is a former East India Company fort located in Bengkulu (city), Bengkulu City, Sumatra. It was built between 1713 and 1719 by the East India Company under the leadership of ...
, a British fort in
Bengkulu City Bengkulu (; Rejangese language, Rejangese: ), formerly Bencoolen (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Benkoelen'') is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of Bengkulu. The city is the second largest city on the west coast of Sumat ...
.


See also

*
Minangkabau people Minangkabau people (; ; ) are an Austronesian people, Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Western Sumatra region on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Minangkabau's West Sumatera homelands was th ...
*
Overseas Minangkabau The Overseas Minangkabau is a demographic group of Minangkabau people of Minangkabau Highlands origin in Central Sumatra, Indonesia who have settled in other parts of the world.Christine Dobbin, Islamic Revivalism in a Changing Peasant Economy: ...
* Kerinci language * Mukomuko Regency


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Minangkabau Language Minangkabau language Languages of Indonesia Minangkabau Malayic languages Languages of Sumatra