Kadazan Dusun language

Kadazan Dusun, AKA Bunduliwan (Dusun: Boros Dusun), is one of the more widespread languages spoken by the Dusun and Kadazan peoples of Sabah, Malaysia.

Official dialect

Under the efforts of the Kadazandusun Cultural Association Sabah, the standardized Kadazan-Dusun language is of the central Bundu-Liwan dialect spoken in Bundu and Liwan. Dusun Bundu-liwan's selection was based on it being the most mutually intelligible, when conversing with other Dusun or Kadazan dialects.^[3]

Alphabet

The Dusun-Kadazan language is written using the Latin alphabet and it has 22 characters (the letters C, F, Q, and X are not used except in loanwords):

A B D E G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Z

These characters together are called Pimato

Vowels

The vowels are divided into:

Simple vowels: a e i o u

Diphthongs: aa ai(sometimes pronounced /ee/) ii oi uu

Some combinations of vowels do not form diphthongs and each vowel retains its separate sound: ao ia iu ui ue. In some words aa is not a dipthtong. This is indicated by an apostrophe between the two vowels: a’a.

Structure

The Dusun phrase structure follow a different pattern since the normal English SUBJECT – VERB – OBJECT structure is non-existent in the Dusun construction. A typical Dusun sentence follows the VERB – SUBJECT – OBJECT structure.

Example

Dusun sentence: Monginum isio do waig.

Direct English translation: Drink him water.

English interpretation: He is drinking water.

Dusun sentence: Nunu maan nu do suab?

Direct English translation: What do you tomorrow?

English interpretation: "What are you doing tomorrow?" or to a lesser extent, "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

Examples

Genesis 1:1-3

Ontok di timpuun ih, tuminimpuun o Kinorohingan do minomonsoi do libabou om pomogunan. Orolot iti pomogunan om inggaa suang, om pointuong nokulumutan di rahat topuhod. Mintulud sunduan do Kinorohingan do hiri id soibau di waig. Om pomoros nodi o Kinorohingan do, "Nawau no" ka. Om haro nodi o tanawau. Om asanangan tomod o Kinorohingan do nokokitoh diri. Pitongkiado no do Kinoingan ih tanawau do mantad hiri id totuong. Om pungaranai nodi do Kinorohingan do "dangadau" it anawau, om iri otuong nopo nga pinungaranan dau do "dongotuong". Haro di sosodopon, sinusuhut minsusuab – iri no o tadau kumoiso.

Translation

In the beginning God created heaven and earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The spirit of God was hovering over the water. Then God said, "Let there be light!" So there was light. God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light "day", and the darkness he named "night". There was evening, then morning, the first day.

Months and days

Five Ws and one H

References

External links

Kadazan Dusun language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator

• Kadazandusun Language Foundation
• Kadazandusun Online Vocabulary Sharing
• Numbers in dusun (Dynamic)

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