Bunak (Bunaq)

Bunak is a member of the West Bomberai branch of the Trans-New Guinea language family. It is spoken by about 80,000 people in the centre of Timor Island. There are about 50,000 Bunak speakers in west of East Timor, particularly in the municipalities of Bobanaro, Cova Lima, Ainaro and Manufahi. There are another 30,000 speakers in the Belu Regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia, particularly in Lamaknen and nearby villages.

Bunak is also known as Bunaq, Buna', Bunä, Buna or Marae. Some speakers call themselves Gaiq or Gaeq. Dialects include Southwest, Lamaknen, Northeast, Ainaro and Manufahi.

There are several ways to write Bunak with the Latin alphabet, which were developed by the Dutch and Portuguese.

Bunak alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Bunak (Excel)

Notes

p, t and k are not released at the ends of words
Between vowels b = [β], d = [r] and g = [ɣ]
Before i, g = [ʤ]
Before i, s = [ʧ]
At the ends of words l can be pronounced [ɬ]
When ai, ei and oi are pronounced as separate vowels, they can be written aï, eï and oï.
Words borrowed from Indonesian, Malay or Tetun may contain the letters f [f], j [ʤ], ng [ŋ] and/or y [j]. These letters are not used in native Bunak words.

Sample text (The Lord's Prayer)

Nei nie Ama pan-esen gene; I inil hatetu gie; I ie bein hini man gie; I ie hakara dari mal, hoe muk wa gene pan-esen gene goet.

I mete nei nege bai-a leai-leai gie. Nei nie sal hege perdue, nuu nei en nei nasusar gege perdue goet. Hani manupinu mil ata nei nata-ma; mais late go nei nosoli. Amen.

Sample video

Information about Bunak | Numbers

Links

Information about the Bunak languages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunak_language
https://sites.google.com/site/newguineaworld/families/trans-new-guinea/berau-gulf/west-bomberai/timor-alor-pantar/bunaq
https://www.academia.edu/1710171/Bunaq_typological_treats
Bunaq : a Papuan language of central Timor (a PhD thesis by Antionette Schapper)

Trans-New Guinea languages

Amele, Awara, Barai, Blagar, Bunak, Dadibi, Daga, Huli, Kanasi, Ketengban, Makalero, Meriam Mir, Nobonob, Sawila, Tairoa, Teiwa, Wantoat

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 28.03.23. Last modified: 28.03.23

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