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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Malaysia (Sarawak) > Melanau, Central

Melanau, Central

A language of Malaysia (Sarawak)

ISO 639-3: mel

Population	113,000 in Malaysia (2000 census). Population total all countries: 113,280.
Region	3rd Division, Rejang delta coastal area to Balingian River. Also in Brunei.
Language map	Brunei and Malaysia - Sarawak, reference number 39
Alternate names	Belana’u, Milanau, Milano
Dialects	Mukah-Oya (Mukah, Muka, Oya, Oya’, Oga), Balingian, Bruit, Dalat (Dalad), Igan, Sarikei, Segahan, Prehan, Segalang, Siteng. Balingian dialect is linguistically quite distinct from others.
Classification	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, North Borneo, Melanau-Kajang, Melanau
Language use	Also use Malay [zlm].
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: above 50%.
Comments	Agriculturalists: sago, rice, coconut, rubber; fishermen; lumbermen; animal husbandry: poultry, goats, water buffaloes; traders with Iban.

Also spoken in:

Brunei

Language name	Melanau, Central
Population	280 in Brunei (2006 SIL).
Region	Around Kuala Belait town.
Language map	Brunei and Malaysia - Sarawak, reference number 39
Alternate names	Belana’u, Melanau , Milanau, Milano
Dialects	Mukah-Oya (Mukah, Muka, Oya, Oya’, Oga).
Language use	Also use Brunei Malay [kxd].
Comments	The Mukah dialect is spoken in Brunei. Agriculturalists: sago, rice, coconut, rubber; fishermen; lumbermen; animal husbandry: chickens, goats, water buffaloes; traders with Iban. Muslim.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

Chou Shu Hsiu. 1999. Melanau and Indonesian: a comparative grammatical study.  

Chou Shu Hsiu. 2002. A reconstruction of proto-Melanau.