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Jahai language

Austroasiatic language spoken in Malaysia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Jahai (Jehai) is an aboriginal Mon–Khmer language spoken by the Jahai people living in the montane rainforests of northern Peninsular Malaysia and southernmost Thailand. It is the largest Northern Aslian language. Though spoken by only a little more than 1,000 people, Jahai does not appear to be in immediate danger of extinction due to the prevalence of Jahai parents passing on the language to their children as their mother tongue.[2]

Quick Facts Native to, Ethnicity ...

Jahai has a unique vocabulary for describing odors.[3]

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Phonology

Vowels

More information Front, Central ...

Consonants

More information Bilabial, Alveolar ...

Syllable structure

On the surface level, the maximal syllable in Jahai is represented as CV(C). The onset consonant is obligatorily required.[2]

Stress and tone

The position of stress always falls on the last syllable. Burenhult states there is no tonal distinction in Jahai language.[2]

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Olfactory categories

Odor terms in Jahai are based on abstract qualities rather than specific sources (which is more common cross-linguistically, particularly in European languages).[4]

More information Odor terms, Approximate translation ...
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See also

References

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