Savu languages
Encyclopedia
The Savu languages, Hawu
and Dhao
, are spoken on Savu and Ndao Islands in East Nusa Tenggara
, Indonesia.
of East Nusa Tenggara
and Maluku
, notably in Hawu. While he generally spoke of a non-Austronesian substratum
, Hawu is so divergent from Austronesian norms that he classified it (and Dhao) as a non-Austronesian language. He says,
However, it is now generally accepted that Savu is no more divergent than the other Central Malayo-Polynesian languages, all of which display a non-Austronesian component that defines Melanesian languages.
(or perhaps pre-glottalized) consonants with the Bima–Sumba languages and with languages of Flores and Sulawesi
further north, such Wolio
, and languages of Flores such as Ngad'a have rather similar lengthening of consonants after schwa. Dhao has the larger inventory, but even where the languages have the same consonants, there is often not a one-to-one correspondence. Apart from Hawu /v/, Dhao is more conservative. Hawu *s, *c shifted to /h/ in historical times. Non-obvious correlations are:
For initial /dʒ/ in Dhao, there is dialectical variation between /ʄ/ and /j/ in Hawu. Most other consonants have a one-to-one correspondence, but a few (such as /ɓ/, /ɡ/, and non-initial /dʒ/) are not well-enough attested to be certain.
Parenthetical forms in Hawu are dialectical.
Hawu language
The Hawu Havu language, historically Sawu and known to outsiders as Savu or Sabu , is the language of Savu Island in Indonesia and of Raijua Island off the western tip of Savu. Traditionally classified as a Sumba language in the Austronesian family, it may actually be a non-Austronesian language...
and Dhao
Dhao language
The Dhao language, better known to outsiders by its Rotinese name Ndao , is the language of Ndao Island in Indonesia. Traditionally classified as a Sumba language in the Austronesian family, it may actually be a non-Austronesian language...
, are spoken on Savu and Ndao Islands in East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara is a province of Indonesia, located in the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, including West Timor. The provincial capital is Kupang, located on West Timor...
, Indonesia.
Classification
Cappell (1975) noted a large amount of non-Austronesian vocabulary and grammatical features in the Central Malayo-Polynesian languagesCentral Malayo-Polynesian languages
The Central Malayo-Polynesian linkage is an erstwhile branch of Austronesian languages. The languages are spoken in the Lesser Sunda and Maluku Islands of the Banda Sea, in an area corresponding closely to the Indonesian provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and Maluku and the nation of East Timor , but...
of East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara is a province of Indonesia, located in the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, including West Timor. The provincial capital is Kupang, located on West Timor...
and Maluku
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands are an archipelago that is part of Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone...
, notably in Hawu. While he generally spoke of a non-Austronesian substratum
Substratum
In linguistics, a stratum or strate is a language that influences, or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum is a language which has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum is the language that has higher power or prestige. Both substratum and superstratum...
, Hawu is so divergent from Austronesian norms that he classified it (and Dhao) as a non-Austronesian language. He says,
However, it is now generally accepted that Savu is no more divergent than the other Central Malayo-Polynesian languages, all of which display a non-Austronesian component that defines Melanesian languages.
Phonology
The Savu languages have the same vowels and stress rules. They share implosiveImplosive consonant
Implosive consonants are stops with a mixed glottalic ingressive and pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism. That is, the airstream is controlled by moving the glottis downward in addition to expelling air from the lungs. Therefore, unlike the purely glottalic ejective consonants, implosives can...
(or perhaps pre-glottalized) consonants with the Bima–Sumba languages and with languages of Flores and Sulawesi
Celebic languages
The Celebic languages are a proposed group of Malayo-Polynesian languages spoken on the island of Sulawesi, formerly spelled Celebes. It would be the largest family of languages on that island.-Classification:...
further north, such Wolio
Wolio language
Wolio is an Austronesian language spoken in Bau-Bau on Buton Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Also known as Buton, it is a trade language and the former court language of the Sultan at Baubau. Today it is an official regional language; street signs are written in Wolio using the Arabic...
, and languages of Flores such as Ngad'a have rather similar lengthening of consonants after schwa. Dhao has the larger inventory, but even where the languages have the same consonants, there is often not a one-to-one correspondence. Apart from Hawu /v/, Dhao is more conservative. Hawu *s, *c shifted to /h/ in historical times. Non-obvious correlations are:
| Dhao | Hawu | example | gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| tʃ | h | tʃaʔe ~ haʔe | climb |
| s | h | risi ~ rihi | more |
| h | h | həba ~ həɓa | mouth |
| h | v | hahi ~ vavi | pig |
| ɖʐ | d | maɖʐe ~ made | dead |
| d | ɗ | məda ~ məɗa | niɡht |
| ɗ | ɗ | loɗo | sun, day |
| bβ | b | bβəni ~ bəni | woman |
| b | ɓ | həba ~ həɓa | mouth |
| ɓ | ɓ | saɓa ~ haɓa (?) | effort |
| #dʒ | #ʄ, #j | dʒaʔa ~ ʄaa / jaa | I, me |
| .dʒ | .dʒ | padʒuu ~ pedʒuu (?) | command |
| ʄ | ʄ | aʄu | tree |
For initial /dʒ/ in Dhao, there is dialectical variation between /ʄ/ and /j/ in Hawu. Most other consonants have a one-to-one correspondence, but a few (such as /ɓ/, /ɡ/, and non-initial /dʒ/) are not well-enough attested to be certain.
Pronouns
Independent personal pronouns are similar.| Dhao | Hawu | |
|---|---|---|
| I | dʒaʔa | ʄaa (jaa, dʒoo) |
| thou | əu | əu (au, ou) |
| s/he | nəŋu | noo |
| we (incl Clusivity In linguistics, clusivity is a distinction between inclusive and exclusive first-person pronouns and verbal morphology, also called inclusive "we" and exclusive "we"... ) |
əɖʐi | dii |
| we (excl Clusivity In linguistics, clusivity is a distinction between inclusive and exclusive first-person pronouns and verbal morphology, also called inclusive "we" and exclusive "we"... ) |
dʒiʔi | ʄii |
| y'all | miu | muu |
| they | rəŋu | raa (naa) |
Parenthetical forms in Hawu are dialectical.