دوسون (لغة)

Central Dusun
Bunduliwan
Boros Dusun
موطنها	Malaysia, Brunei
المنطقة	Sabah and Federal Territory of Labuan
العرق	Dusun people, Kadazan people Ethnic population: 714,000 (2024)
الناطقون الأصليون	260٬000 Central Dusun (2010)e25
عائلة اللغات	الأسترونيزية Malayo-Polynesian North Bornean Southwest Sabahan Dusunic Dusun Central Dusun
الصيغ الفصحى	Kadazandusun language (this page)
الوضع الرسمي
لغة أقلية معترف بها في	Malaysia (as Kadazandusun)
ينظمها	Multiple: Kadazandusun Cultural Association Sabah Kadazandusun Language Foundation United Sabah Dusun Association Kadazan Society Sabah
أكواد اللغات
ISO 639-3	dtp
Glottolog	cent2100

A Dusun-language translation of the Bible

Central Dusun, also known as Bunduliwan (Boros Dusun), is an Austronesian language and one of the more widespread languages spoken by the Dusun (including Kadazan) peoples of Sabah, Malaysia.

 History

What is termed as Central Dusun (or simply Dusun) and Coastal Kadazan (or simply Kadazan) are deemed to be highly mutually intelligible to one other; many consider these to be part of a single language.

The language was among many other Sabahan vernacular languages suppressed under Mustapha Harun's assimilationist enforcement of Bahasa Malaysia across the state. Under the efforts of the Kadazandusun Cultural Association Sabah, in 1995, the central Bundu-Liwan dialect was selected to serve as the basis for a standardised "Kadazandusun" language. This dialect, spoken in the Bundu and Liwan valleys of the Crocker-Trusmadi ranges (now parts of the present-day districts of Ranau, Tambunan and Keningau), was selected as it was deemed to be the most mutually intelligible when conversing with other "Dusun" or "Kadazan" dialects.

 Phonology

The phonemes in Central Dusun and Coastal Kadazan are as follows:

 Consonants

Central Dusun consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Dorsal	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	ŋ
Plosive	voiceless	p	t	k	ʔ
	voiced	b	d	ɡ
Fricative			s		h
Rhotic			r
Approximant		w	l	j

Robinson specifies that /r/ in Tindal Dusun is a flap [ɾ].

Coastal Kadazan consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Dorsal	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	ŋ
Plosive	voiceless	p	t	k	ʔ
	voiced	b	d	ɡ
Implosive		ɓ	ɗ
Fricative	voiceless		s		h
	voiced	v	z
Approximant			l

[x] occurs as an allophone of /k/ in word-medial position.

Tangit and MBDK note that Coastal Kadazan consonants correspond to the following consonants found in other varieties:

Central Dusun consonant	Coastal Kadazan cognate	Example
/r/	/l/	CD ralan, CK lahan "road"
/r/	/∅/	CD boros, CK boos "word"
/l/	/h/	CD loyou, CK hozou "song"
/w/	/v/	CD awasi, CK avasi "good"
/j/	/z/	CD agayo, CK agazo "big"

 Vowels

Kadazandusun is usually said to have four vowels /a i u o/. According to Tingit, /o/ in Central Dusun is less rounded [o̜, ɤ] than in Coastal Kadazan and is sometimes represented with ⟨e⟩.

 Orthography

Dusun is written using the Latin alphabet using 21 characters (the letters C, E, F, Q, and X are used in loanwords):

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

These characters together are called Pimato.

Diphthongs: ⟨aa⟩ ⟨ai⟩ (sometimes pronounced /e/) ⟨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 diphthong, and this is indicated by an apostrophe between the two vowels: a'a.

 Grammar

 Personal pronouns

Tindal Dusun has a Philippine-type focus system of syntax that makes one particular noun phrase in a sentence the most prominent. The prominent or focused noun (or noun phrase) is not necessarily the subject or the agent. In clauses with pronouns, both the pronoun as well as the verbal morphology carry indication of focus. If the verbal morphology carries actor-focus, the clause's actor will be a nominative pronoun - or rarely an emphatic pronoun. Any other noun phrase in the clause must take pronouns from a different set, as only one noun phrase can be the focus of a clause.

Tindal pronouns

Gloss	Nominative	Genitive	Oblique	Emphatic
1sg	oku	ku	doho	joho
2sg	ko	nu	diaʔ	jaʔ
3sg	isio	disio~dow	isio
1in	toko			jatiʔ
1ex	jahaj~jahɛː	dahɛː		jahɛː
2pl	jokow	dokow	jokow
3pl	joloʔ	dioloʔ	joloʔ

Kadazandusun pronouns

Gloss	Emphatic	Nominative	Genitive	Oblique
1sg	yoku	oku	ku	doho
1du	yato/iyahai	kito/iyahai/ikoi	dato/dahai
1pl	yotokou	tokou		dotokou
2sg	ika/ia'	ko/ika/ia'	nu	dia'/dika
2pl	ikoyu	kou	dikoyu
3sg.m	isio		disido/dau
3sg.f	isido		dosido/dau
3pl	yolo		diolo

"The "emphatic" pronouns are used alone or preposedly, either as answers or to stress the pronoun.

 Examples

(1)

Ika

You(emph)

i

[personal]

Kinomulok?

Kinomulok

Ika i Kinomulok?

You(emph) [personal] Kinomulok

Are you Kinomulok?

I

[personal]

Kinomulok

Kinomulok

oku

I

I Kinomulok oku

[personal] Kinomulok I

I am Kinomulok.

(2)

Isai

Who

ko?

you(non-emph)

Isai ko?

Who you(non-emph)

Who are you?

I

[personal]

Tolimu

Batholomew

oku

I

I Tolimu oku

[personal] Batholomew I

I am Bartholomew.

(3)

Ika

You

mongoi.

go

Ika mongoi.

You go

You go.

 Sentence structure

A typical Dusun sentence is VSO.

Poposidang

dry

oku

I

parai.

rice

Poposidang oku parai.

dry I rice

I dry rice.

It is, however, possible for a grammatically correct Dusun sentence to be SVO.

Oinsanan

all

tangaanak

children

sikul

school

nonuan

given

do uniform.

uniform

Oinsanan tangaanak sikul nonuan {do uniform.}

all children school given uniform

All students have been given uniforms.

 Vocabulary

Numerals

English	Dusun
one	iso
two	duo
three	tolu
four	apat
five	limo
six	onom
seven	turu
eight	walu
nine	siam
ten	hopod
hundred	hatus
thousand	soriong

To form numbers such as fifty or sixty, a multiplier is combined with a positional unit (tens, hundreds, thousands etc.), using no.

tolu

three

no

already

hopod

ten

tolu no hopod

three already ten

thirty

Separate units are combined with om.

soriong

1000

om

and

turu

seven

no

already

hatus

100

om

and

duo

two

no

already

hopod

ten

om

and

siam

nine

soriong om turu no hatus om duo no hopod om siam

1000 and seven already 100 and two already ten and nine

one thousand, seven hundred and twenty nine

Months

English	Dusun
January	Milatok
February	Mansak
March	Gomot
April	Ngiop
May	Mikat
June	Mahas/Rilik
July	Madas/Tutud
August	Magus/Ngurak
September	Manom
October	Gumas
November	Milau
December	Momuhau

The Dusun name of the months derive from the traditional cycle of paddy harvesting.

Days of the week

English	Dusun
	Dusun name	Numerical
Monday	Tontolu	Tadau koiso
Tuesday	Mirod	Tadau koduo
Wednesday	Madsa	Tadau kotolu
Thursday	Tadtaru	Tadau kaapat
Friday	Kurudu	Tadau kolimo
Saturday	Kukuak	Tadau koonom
Sunday	Tiwang	Tadau koturu/minggu

The names for the days of the week are mostly based on a simple numerical sequence, which is commonly used for media and newspapers. The names of Dusun days as part of the seven-day week derive from the life cycle of a butterfly.

Interrogatives

English	Dusun
what	nunu/onu
who	isai
where	hombo/nonggo
when	soira
why	okuro
how	poingkuro
how many	piro/songkuro

 Dialects

Central Dusun is divided into four main dialect groups:

• Liwanic: Liwan, Inobong Dusun, Tuhawon
• Bunduic: Bundu, Sinulihan, Tagahas, Manggatal Dusun
• Tindalic: Tindal-Kiau-Tempasuk, Luba-Tonduk-Gobukon
• Ulu Sugut Dusun: Tinagas, Lingkabau, Talantang

Central Dusun dialects are mostly mutually intelligible when conversing.

 Sample prayers

 Our Father

Tama dahai id surga, apantang daa o ngaran nu, korikot noh daa kopomorintaan nu, nadadi noh kaandak nu hiti'd tana miagal hilo'd surga, tahako dahai tadau diti ie takanon dahai tikid tadau, om poliongo noh douso dahai miagal nogi'd poliongo dahai id sontob pinokumaus dahai. Om kada pologoso yahai id koimbayatan, nga palapaso dahai noh do mantad kaaratan. Amin.

Translation:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

 Hail Mary

Ave Maria, noponu noh grasia, miampai diya Kinorohingan, obitua kou do'd sawi-awi tondu, om obitua tuwa' tinan nu, Yesus. Sangti Maria, tama kinorohingan, insiano yahai/ikoi tulun mominidouso, do baino om ontok jaam kapataion ya. Amin.

Translation:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

 Bibliography

Tangit, Trixie M. (May 2005), Planning Kadazandusun (Sabah, Malaysia): Labels, Identity and Language, Mānoa: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/1f21fe8b-7e05-46e8-880b-91b45077cecd/content 

Robinson, Laura C. (2005), A sketch grammar of Tindal Dusun, 36, Mānoa: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, pp. 1–31, https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/95b5fe65-8229-41ee-b43b-1938b0b88ffa/content 

 External links

Wikipedia

دوسون (لغة) edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• Kadazandusun Language Foundation
• Kadazandusun Online Vocabulary Sharing
• Numbers in Dusun (Dynamic)
• Collection of Central Dusun sentences at tatoeba.org
• Collection of Central Dusun sentences with audio at tatoeba.org