Tamanic languages

Not to be confused with Tamangic languages.

The Tamanic languages are a small group of languages of Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan:

• Embaloh (incl. Kalis)
• Taman (Taman Dayak)

Tamanic
Geographic distribution	West Kalimantan
Linguistic classification	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian South Sulawesi Bugis–Tamanic Tamanic
Subdivisions	Embaloh Taman
Glottolog	tama1334

The Tamanic languages are not closely related to other languages on Borneo. Instead, they belong to the South Sulawesi languages, most probably in one branch together with Buginese.^[1][2][3]

Sound changes

Here is a list of sound changes from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian into various Tamanic languages.^[1]

Consonants

• Phonemic mergers:
  • *D merges into d.
  • *j merges into s, but merges into d following *n.
  • *h, *q merge into ∅, however, in word-final positions their outcomes still differ.
  • *z merges into d.
• Lenition in intervocalic positions:
  • *-b- > -w- (sometimes deletes).
  • *-d- > -r- (original *D and *z are also affected).
  • *-ŋ-, *-k- > -∅- in Taman (*takut > ataut).
  • When geminated or following a nasal consonant, the original phonemes remain.
• *l is assimilated to r before r in the same or following syllable (*ulaR > urar "snake").
  • In Taman, *r is further dissimilated to n after *r (urar : uran).
• Development of final glottal stop (-ʔ) of mostly unexplained origin.
  • *-q > -ʔ, but *-h > *-∅
  • Other occurrences are hypothesized from an original Proto-Malayo-Polynesian phoneme -ʔ.

Vowels

• *aya, aV > *a: (qi Daya > Embaloh ira:)
  • In Taman, it is sometimes reflected as ɛ: (Malay lain > lɛ:n).
• *u is dissimilated to i before *u in the following syllable (*tumpul > timpul "blunt").
• *ay, *ey and *aw, *ew are monophthongized into e and o, respectively.

West Kalimantan groups

Main article: List of Dayak groups of West Kalimantan

Some Tamanic-speaking Dayak ethnic subgroups and their respective languages in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia:^[4][5]

Group	Language	Regency
Kalis	Kalis	Kapuas Hulu
Lau'	Lau'	Kapuas Hulu
Tamambalo	Tamambalo	Kapuas Hulu
Taman	Taman	Kapuas Hulu

References

1. K. A. Adelaar. 1994. The classification of the Tamanic languages. In Tom Dutton and Darrell T. Tryon (eds.), Language contact and change in the Austronesian world, 1-42. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
2. K. Alexander Adelaar and Nikolaus Himmelmann. 2005. The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar. London: Routledge.
3. Smith, Alexander D. (2017). "The Western Malayo-Polynesian Problem". Oceanic Linguistics. 56 (2): 435–490. doi:10.1353/ol.2017.0021. S2CID 149377092.
4. Bamba, John (ed.) (2008). Mozaik Dayak keberagaman subsuku dan bahasa Dayak di Kalimantan Barat. Pontianak: Institut Dayakologi. ISBN 978-979-97788-5-7.
5. Istiyani, Chatarina Pancer (2008). Memahami peta keberagaman subsuku dan bahasa Dayak di Kalimantan Barat. Institut Dayakologi.