Iban language

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Iban
Spoken in:	Malaysia
Region:	Borneo
Total speakers:	400,000
Language family:	Austronesian  Malayo-Polynesian (MP)   Nuclear MP    Sunda-Sulawesi     Malayic-Dayak      Ibanic       Iban
Language codes
ISO 639-1:	none
ISO 639-2:	–
ISO 639-3:	iba
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

The Iban language is spoken in Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo) and the Sarawak state region of Malaysia by the Iban, a branch of the Dayak ethnic group (formerly known as "Sea Dayak"). It belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, and is closely related to Malay.

[edit] Sample lexicon

agi - "again" (Malay lagi)

aja - "only" (Malay saja)

aku - "I; me"

amat - "truly"

ao - "correct; that's right"

apai - "father"

asai - "feel" (Malay rasa)

bedau - "not yet"

bai - "bring"

bak - "at"

baka - "like"

baka selama - "same as usual"

bakanya - "like that"

baru - "new; may"

bejalai - "to walk"

belanda/belawak - "to run"

dani - "wake up (from sleep)"

lenyau - "lost"

makai - "to eat"

ngelusu - "lazy (sometimes burok is also used to convey this meaning)

ngirup - "to drink"

nuan- "is the formal "you" deh is less formal"

nyumai - "to cook"

tinduk - "to sleep"

Editor-Cina Bintulu

[edit] Sample phrases

Nama brita nuan? - "How are you?"

Sapa nama nuan? - "What is your name?"

Brapa rega utai tu? - "How much is this?"

Dini alai ___? - "Where is ___?"

Ari ni penatai nuan? - "Where are you from?"

Aku datai ari ___. - "I come from ___."

Pukul brapa diatu? - "What is the time now?"

Selamat lemai! - "Good evening!"

Selamat datai! - "Welcome!"

Anang manchal! - "Don't be naughty!"

enda ulih datai - "cannot come"

Anang guai - "hold on" "Don't spoil it"

Nadai ngawa nya - "nevermind that"

Nyamai wai - "nice taste"

Pulai dulu-"I'm going back"

Aram bekelala-"Let's introduce ourselves"

Pengerindu-"Love, Passion"

Aku rinduka nuan-"I love / like you"

Manah-"Good, Great"

Jai-"Bad, damaged"

Sapa enggau nuan?-"Who came with you?"

Aku enggau ___-"I came / went with ___"

Ninga meh-"Please listen"

Anang inggar / ragak-"Silent, please"

Kini nuan?-"Where are you going?"

Mar amat! - "too expensive!"

Kapanya! - "Whatever!"

Selamat pagi pengajar. - "Good morning teacher."

Aku enda nemu - "I don't know"

Aram meh kitai ngirup - "Let drink together"

Editor - Iban Teacher

[edit] Sources

Anthony Richards, An Iban-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 1981. [Paperback reprint in the 1990s by Penerbit Fajar Bakti, Petaling Jaya.]

Otto Steinmayer, Jalai Jako' Iban, a basic grammar of the Iban language of Sarawak. Klasik Publishing House: Kuching, 1999.