Termanu is an Austronesian language spoken in Roti Island, off Timor, Indonesia. It belongs to the Rote–Meto subgroup of the Timoric variety of the Central–Eastern branch of Malayo-Polynesian languages spoken in the region. Speakers of Korbafo and Bokai dialects of Termanu are ethnically distinct.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Apical Velar Glottal Nasal m n ŋ Stop voiceless p t k ʔ voiced b d̪ prenasal ᵐp ᵐb ⁿd ᵑɡ Fricative f s h Lateral l

  • /ᵑɡ, l/ have variants of [ɡ, ɾ] in other dialects.
  • Sounds [w, j] also occur in loanwords and interjections.

Vowels

Front Central Back High i u Mid e o Low a

Vowel length is also distributed.

Sources

  • Fanggidaej, J. (1892). . Bijdragen voor de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch Indië (in Dutch). 41: 554–571. doi:.
  • Jonker, J. C. G. (1908). (in Dutch). Leiden: E. J. Brill – via archive.org.
  • Jonker, J. C. G. (1915). Rottineesche Spraakkunst (in Dutch). Leiden: E. J. Brill.