Kiput language

Kiput
Native to	Malaysia
Region	Northern Sarawak, Borneo
Native speakers	(2,500 cited 1981)
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian North Bornean North Sarawakan Berawan–Lower Baram Lower Baram Kiput–Belait Kiput
Language codes
ISO 639-3	kyi
Glottolog	kipu1237
ELP	Kiput

Kiput is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in northern Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia.

Phonology

While the Northern Sarawakan languages in general are known for unusual phonological developments, Kiput stands out from the rest.

Vowels

Kiput has eight monophthongs /i ɪ e u ʊ o ə a/, at least twelve diphthongs /iw ew uj oj əj əw aj aw iə̯ eə̯ uə̯ oə̯/ and two triphthongs /iə̯j iə̯w/.

Consonants

Kiput consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	ɲ	ŋ
Plosive	Voiceless	p	t	c	k	ʔ
	Voiced	b	d	(ɟ)	ɡ
Fricative		f	s			h
Liquid	Lateral		l
	Rhotic		r
Semivowel		w		j

Further reading

• Blust, Robert (2002). "Kiput Historical Phonology". Oceanic Linguistics. 42 (2): 384–438. doi:10.1353/ol.2002.0004. S2CID 145323053.
• Blust, Robert (2004). A Short Morphology, Phonology and Vocabulary of Kiput, Sarawak. Pacific Linguistics 546. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. doi:10.15144/PL-546. hdl:1885/146714.
• Blust, Robert A. (7 December 2005). "Must sound change be linguistically motivated?". Diachronica. 22 (2): 219–269. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.570.7803. doi:10.1075/dia.22.2.02blu. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022.
• Ray, Sidney H. (1913). "The Languages of Borneo". The Sarawak Museum Journal. 1 (4): 1–196.

External links

• Kaipuleohone archive includes written materials on Kiput