Meyah

Meyah is a member of the Mantion-Meyah group of West Papuan languages. It is spoken by between 16,000 and 20,000 people on the Bird's Head peninsula in West Papua in eastern Indonesia. In particular, it is spoken in the subdistricts of Manokwari and Merdei in the Manokwari Regency between the Arfak mountains to the Pacific coast, and east to the town of Manokwari on Cenderawasih Bay.

Meyah people living in the mountains are more likely to be monolingual in Meyah, while those living in coastal areas tend speak Indonesian or a local variety of Malay as well as Meyah.

Meyah is also known as Meah, Meax or Meyakh. It is related to Sougb (Manikion) and Moskona (Meninggo). It is written with the Latin script.

Meyah alphabet

Meyah alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Meyah (Excel)

Notes

In unaccented syllables, a and e = [ə], i = [ɹ̩] and o = [ʌ].
b is pronounced [β] between vowels, and [p] at the end of words.
d is sometimes pronounced [t] at the end of words.
j is pronounced [ʧ] at the end of words.
g is pronounced [ɣ] between vowels
n is pronounced [ɲ] between vowels after i
s is pronounced [ʃ] between i and a or e, e,g, óisa [óiʃa]

Sample text (Simon Diserang Babi)

Simon agot gu Andreas gonu Lukas oida, "Mimif minja mutkutma rot mekhuis." Erek koma jefeda rua rita rerin mesigebr noba rija gu merembrah. Dektek deika guru, beda rua rik mekhuis egens. Jefeda rua rijema decideci skoita mekhuis insa koma fogora rif. Tima mekhuis enagos enesi. Mekhuis koma ofogog doska rot jefeda ofof ebeirens skoita Simon fogora eska ofa ofosma ofoukou. Andreas gonu Lukas goku jeska goga gemessa mekhuis koma. Nou ongga mekhuis koma enja fob, beda Andreas gonu Lukas gofof sons skoita Simon jeskaseda gofij ofa.

Translation

Simon said to Andrew and Luke, "Let's go and hunt pigs." They took their bows and arrows and walked into the forest. Not long after they saw a wild boar. They surrounded the pig. Then Lukas shot it with an arrow, but the pig did not die. The pigs became angry and attacked Simon. The pig injured Simon on several parts of his body. After the pigs left, Andrew and Luke rushed to help Simon.

Source: Mekhuis Eska Simon (Simon was attacked by a pig). Gravelle, Gilles. 1994.

Sample videos

Links

Information about Meyah
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meyah_language
https://www.academia.edu/109990223/Meyah_A_Language_of_West_Papua_Indonesia
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/meya1236
http://www.language-archives.org/language/mej
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/mej

West Papuan languages

Galela, Meyah, Tobelo

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 15.07.24. Last modified: 15.07.24

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