Moronene language

Moronene is an Austronesian language spoken in Bombana Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs to the Bungku–Tolaki branch of the Celebic subgroup.

Moronene
Native to	Indonesia
Region	Sulawesi
Native speakers	37,000 (2000)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian (MP) Celebic Bungku–Tolaki Moronene
Dialects	Wita Ea (Rumbia, Poleang) Tokotu’a (Kabaena)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	mqn
Glottolog	moro1287

Phonology

Moronene has the following consonant inventory:^[2]

Consonants

			Labial	Alveolar	Retroflex	Velar	Glottal
Nasal			m	n		ŋ
Plosive	voiceless	plain	p	t		k	ʔ
		prenasalized	ᵐp	ⁿt		ᵑk
	voiced	plain	b	d		g
		prenasalized	ᵐb	ⁿd		ᵑg
Fricative			β	s			h
Flap				r	ɽ

The vowel phonemes are /a e i o u/. Sequences of two like vowels are pronounced as a long vowel, e.g. nee [ne:].^[2]

Grammar

Word order

Moronene has flexible word order. However, there is a high frequency of clause-initial verbs in "connected narrative discourse." Noun phrases are not marked for case.^[3] The language has prepositions.

Pronouns

There are two forms of pronouns, free pronouns and absolutive clitics.^[2] There are singular and plural forms, there are no dual, trial or paucal forms. There is an inclusive/exclusive distinction in the first person plural forms. There is no gender, and there appears to be no present-day politeness distinction.

Moronene Free Pronouns and Absolutive Clitics^[2]

Person	Free		Absolutive
1SG	[i'?aku] ['?aku]		['aku] ~ [’?aku] ~ ['haku]
2SG	[i'tʃoʔo] ['tʃoʔo]		[ko]
3SG	[i'a:]		[o]~[?o]~[ho]
1PL (Inclusive)	[i'tʃita] ['tʃita]		['kita]
1PL (Exclusive)	[i'tʃami] ['tʃami]		['kami]
2PL	[itʃo'miu] [tʃo'miu]		[ko'miu]
3PL	[i'ʔiɾa] ['ʔiɾa]		['ʔiɾa]~['hiɾa]

Genitive pronouns

There are two classes of genitive pronouns in Moronene which must be learned by speakers, which is unique among Bungku–Tolaki languages.^[4] There are singular and plural forms; there are no dual, trial or paucal forms. There is an inclusive/exclusive distinction in the first person plural forms. Example (1) demonstrates the class 1 first person genitive pronoun in use with the noun 'hair'.^[4]

(1)

wulu-ngku

hair-1SG.GEN

wulu-ngku

hair-1SG.GEN

'My hair'

Moronene Genitive Pronouns^[4]

Person	Class 1	Class 2
1SG	-ngku	-ku
2SG	-u,	-'u
3SG	-no	-no
1PL (EX.)	-mami	-mami
1PL (IN)	-nto,	-to
2PL	-miu	-miu
3PL	-ndo,	-do

Number

Moronene has a decimal numeral system.^[5]

References

1. Moronene at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Andersen, T. David (1999), "Moronene phonology" (PDF), in Wyn D. Laidig (ed.), Studies in Sulawesi linguistics, part VI, Jakarta: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya, pp. 1–45.
3. Andersen, Suree. 1999. When the Moronene say no. In David Mead (ed.), Studies in Sulawesi linguistics part V, 73-112. Jakarta, Indonesia: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya.
4. Mead, David. 1998. Proto–Bungku-Tolaki: Reconstruction of its phonology and aspects of its morphosyntax. PhD dissertation. Houston: Rice University.
5. Andersen, T. David. 1999. Moronene numbers. In David Mead (ed.), Studies in Sulawesi linguistics part V, 1-72. Jakarta, Indonesia: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya.

Further reading

• Mead, David. 1998. Proto–Bungku-Tolaki: Reconstruction of its phonology and aspects of its morphosyntax. PhD dissertation. Houston: Rice University.
• Mead, David. 1999. The Bungku–Tolaki languages of south-eastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Series D-91. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
• Andersen, T. David. 1999. Moronene numbers. In David Mead (ed.), Studies in Sulawesi linguistics part V, 1-72. Jakarta, Indonesia: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya.
• Andersen, T. David. 2006. Topicality and functional voice in Hebrew and Moronene, with application to translation. (Doctoral dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary; 346pp.)
• Andersen, Suree. 1999. When the Moronene say no. In David Mead (ed.), Studies in Sulawesi linguistics part V, 73-112. Jakarta, Indonesia: Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya.
• Muthalib, Abdul and Johannes F. Pattiasina and Adnan Usmar and Rambe, {}. 1983. Struktur bahasa Moronene. Ujung Pandang: PPBSIDSS. vii+136pp.