Batak Simalungun language

Simalungun, or Batak Simalungun, is an Austronesian language of Sumatra. It is spoken mainly in Simalungun Regency and Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Simalungun
Sahap Simalungun
Native to	Indonesia
Region	Sumatra (northern)
Ethnicity	Simalungun
Native speakers	1.2 million (2000)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Northwest Sumatra–Barrier Islands Batak Southern Simalungun
Writing system	Latin, Batak
Language codes
ISO 639-3	bts
Glottolog	bata1288

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n		ŋ
Plosive/ Affricate	voiceless	p	t		k
	voiced	b	d	dʒ	ɡ
Fricative			s			h
Rhotic			r
Lateral			l
Approximant		w		j

/b, d/ can also have implosive allophones [ɓ, ɗ].

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Mid	ɛ		ɔ
Open		a

Sounds /i, u, ɛ, ɔ, a/ can have allophones [ɪ, ʊ, e, o, ɑ].^[2]

References

1. Simalungun at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Bahren Umar, Siregar & Perlindungan; Husni, Chairul (2001). Fonologi Bahasa Simalungun. Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa.

External links

• Indonesian-Simalungun Dictionary
• David Goldsworthy's collection of Music of Indonesia and Malaysia archived with Paradisec includes open access recordings in Batak Simalungun.