Cognate in Indonesian and Berau Language

Comparative Linguistics Study

Dike Febianti, Nuny Sulistiany I and Sri Wiyanti

Indonesian Language Education And Literature Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

dikefebianti@yahoo.co.id, {nuny, sriwiyanti7903}@upi.edu

Keywords: Cognate Level, Root Word, Comparative Linguistics.

Abstract: Indonesian language (IL) and Berau language (BL) are classified into Austronesia family, sub-family of

Malay-Polynesia. Based on the classification, this study was conducted to validate the statement above. The

aims of this study were to describe the similarity, resemblance, and distinction of the root word in

Indonesian and Berau language based on correspondence analysis; and to clarify the cognate level between

Indonesian and Berau language based on lexicostatistic extrapolation. The study used descriptive,

comparative, and observation methods, based on lexicostatistic and correspondence theory. The findings

revealed that out of 200 root words analyzed, 75 of them to be the similar, 72 are alike, and 53 to be

different. Findings also revealed that several formulas namely, “each phoneme /h/ in IL will always

correspond with zero in BL”; “each phoneme /ə/ in IL will always correspond with phoneme /a/ in BL”; and

“each phoneme /o/ in IL will always correspond with phoneme /u/ in BL”. These happen because of the lack

of phonemes /ə/, /h/, and /o/ in BL. Several consonants cluster in BL were found, i.e. /bb/, /dd/, /jj/, /ll/, /pp/,

/rr/, /ss/, and /tt/. New consonants in BL were also found such as [l], [m], [ñ], [ŋ], and [p]. Cognates which

were successfully identified were 73. Lastly, these findings proved that IL and BL are at the level of family

classification.

1 INTRODUCTION

Austronesia Family Language commonly classified

into two categories namely (1) East Irian languages

and Melanesia an (2) Malay-Polynesia languages.

Malay-Polynesia languages are divided into three

sub-categories. One of which is Hesperonesia

languages (West Indonesian languages). Indonesian

language (IL) and Berau language (BL) are included

in the sub-categories of Malay languages. Sudarno

(1992) also states that IL is Austronesia language. In

addition, the classification is also reinforced by SIL

in Ethnologue (2007) who also claims that IL is also

contained within Austronesia Family. However,

Existing research only focused on separate

classification such as in Sudarno (1992), and SIL in

Ethnologue (2007; 2010) which have been

elaborated before. Therefore, the similar research

was conducted to see cognate level or the kinship of

both of the languages.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Linguistic comparative is a branch of linguistics that

studies the phonological, grammatical, and lexical

equivalence of the related languages or from the

historical periods of a language (Kridalaksana,

2011).

Theory included is correspondence and

lexicostatistic theory. Wiyanti (2016) suggests that

correspondence is an alignment or commensuration

of sound in the same position of languages in terms

of horizontal characteristic. The alignment or

commensuration is compared to each other. In terms

of correspondence stages namely registering words

from language under scrutiny and associating

phoneme by phoneme in the same position.

Lexicostatistic is a technique in language

classification which tends to underline word

observation (lexicon) statistically, to try to determine

the classification based on the percentage of

similarity and difference in a language with other

language (Keraf, 1996).

716

Febianti, D., I., N. and Wiyanti, S.

Cognate in Indonesian and Berau Language - Comparative Linguistics Study.

DOI: 10.5220/0007173807160719

In Proceedings of the Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference

on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017) - Literacy, Culture, and Technology in Language Pedagogy and Use, pages 716-719

ISBN: 978-989-758-332-2

3 METHODOLOGY

The research methodology employed in the study is

descriptive. Descriptive method is a method used to

unmask actual problem with gathering some data,

organizing the data, classifying the data, analysing

the data and interpreting the data based on actual

phenomenon at hand.

The research methodology employed in the study

is comparative method. Comparative method is a

method that is more prone to depend on sound and

meaning correspondence, therefore the primary

attention should be given at how a systematic sound

comparison is done. The first step is to conduct a

comparison based on sound system e.g. as studied in

sound classification phonologically. Initially,

consonant sounds should be compared to homogeny

sounds (Parera, 1991). Comparative method is

characterized as qualitative. Data transcription is

collected through this method. Data analysis by

means of corresponding each word is done through

the transcription result, and then the classification

result of the root word to be the similar, same, and

different will be retrieved.

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Keraf (1996) states that correspondence is alignment

or commensuration of sound in the same position of

languages in terms of horizontal characteristic. The

alignment or commensuration is seen at the

similarity or sameness of form and meaning. The

corresponding pair is compared to each other. As for

the correspondence stages which are registering

words from language under scrutiny and associating

phoneme by phoneme in the same position.

Gloss used in the study amounts 200 glosses (in

Keraf, 1996) with each being compared between

Indonesian language and Berau language. 200

glosses are deemed universal and used to

comparative research (Comparative Linguistics or

Comparative Historical Linguistics).

In the category of similarity, root word within

the category is the root word which writing,

pronunciation, and meaning are the same. The gloss

that is included in the same category namely: abu,

air, aku, anak, angin, api, awan, baik, banyak, baru,

batu, binatang, bintang, bulan, bulu, buruk, burung,

cium, daging, danau, datang, daun, di dalam,

di/pada, di mana, di sini, dua, garam, garuk, gigi,

gigit, gosok, gunung, ikat, ini, jalan, jantung, kami,

kanan, kiri, kuku, kulit, kuning, kutu, lain, langit,

laut, licin, lima, lutut, makan, malam, mata,

matahari, mati, minum, napas, panas, panjang,

punggung, rambut, rumput, satu, siang, siapa,

sungai, tajam, takut, tali, tangan, tarik, tidur, tiga,

tua, dan tumpul. The total of the root words is 75.

In the category of different, root words which are

included is the root words that have the same

meaning with extremely different writing and

pronunciation. During the correspondence, phoneme

comparison of the gloss can be dominantly different

as to conclude that the phoneme is within different

root word. Gloss included in different category

namely: akar, anjing, apung, asap, bagaimana,

bakar, balik, bapak, benar, bengkak, cacing, cuci,

dekat, dingin, dorong, ekor, hisap, gali, hantam, ia,

ibu, ikan, istri, jatuh, kabut, kaki, kalau, berkata,

kecil, kotor, lebar, leher, lelaki, lempar, lidah, lihat,

lurus, mereka, nyanyi, pasir, pegang, perempuan,

pohon, potong, sayap, sedikit, semua, suami, tetek,

tidak, tikam, dan ular. The total of the different root

word is 53.

In the category of almost similar, root words

which are within the category are those which the

writing and pronunciation are almost similar on each

phoneme and its comparison. It can be said that each

pair of the phoneme in a gloss is dominantly related.

The category can be seen during the inference of

determining gloss in the same root word category

due to the phoneme comparison 50:50. Gloss

included in this category namely: mengalir, apa,

baring, beberapa, belah, benih, berenang, berjalan,

berat, beri, besar, buah, bunga, bunuh, berburu,

busuk, dan, darah, debu, dengan, dengar, berdiri,

duduk, engkau, empat, gemuk, hapus, hati, hidung,

hidup, hijau, hitam, hitung, hujan, hutan, itu, jahit,

jauh, kamu, karena, berkelahi, kepala, kering,

berludah, main, merah, mulut, muntah, nama,

orang, pendek, peras, perut, pikir, pusar, putih,

sempit, tahu, tahun, tanah, tebal, telinga, telur,

terbang, tertawa, tipis, tiup, tongkat, tulang, usus, di

situ, dan basah. The total of the root words in the

category of sameness is 72.

Below are several correspondences from each

category of similarity, distinction, and sameness.

The correspondences are as follows.

4.1 Abu

Either in IL or BL, the gloss of abu uses the word

[abu]. Phoneme /a/ in IL corresponds with phoneme

/a/ in BL. Both of those phonemes posit the initial

place. Both of those phonemes are found to be

related. Phoneme /b/ in IL corresponds with

phoneme /b/ in BL. Both of these phonemes are

flanked by VCV (Vowel-Consonant-Vowel). These

Cognate in Indonesian and Berau Language - Comparative Linguistics Study

717

phonemes are related to each other. Phoneme /u/ in

IL corresponds with phoneme /u/ in BL. Both of

these phonemes posit the last place. These phonemes

are related to each other. Based on the

correspondence above, both of the root words are

categorized as the same. This correspondence is as

depicted below.

IL BL

[abu] [abu]

a ~ a / #-- ; #-- +

b ~ b /VCV ; VCV +

u~ u /--# ; --# +

4.2 Akar

The term akar is used in IL whereas the term

burakat is used in BL. Phoneme /b/ in BL which

posits initial place corresponds with zero in IL.

These phonemes are found to be unrelated. Phoneme

/u/ in BL is edged by CVC (Consonant-Vowel-

Consonant) corresponds with zero in IL. These

phonemes are found to be unrelated. Phoneme /r/ in

BL is flanked by VCV (Vowel-Consonant-Vowel)

corresponds with zero in IL. Phoneme /a/ in IL

posits the initial position and corresponds with

phoneme /a/ in BL which flanked by CVC

(Consonant-Vowel-Consonant). These phonemes are

found to be related to each other. Phoneme /k/ in IL

edged by VCV (Vowel-Consonant-Vowel)

corresponds with phoneme /k/ in BL also flanked by

VCV (Vowel-Consonant-Vowel). These two

phonemes are related to each other. Phoneme /a/ in

IL edged by CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant)

corresponds with phoneme /a/ in BL edged by CVC

(Consonant-Vowel-Consonant). Both of these

phonemes are related to each other. Finally,

phoneme /t/ in IL corresponds with phoneme /t/ in

BL which both posit last position. These phonemes

are found to be related to each other. Based on the

correspondence above, both of those words are

under the same category of different. This can be

seen as follows.

IL BL

[akar] [burakat]

Ø ~ b/#-- ; #-- -

Ø ~ u /CVC; CVC -

Ø ~ r /VCV; VCV -

a ~ a/#--; CVC +

k ~ k/ VCV; VCV +

a ~ a/ CVC; CVC +

r ~ t /--#; --# -

4.3 Basah

In IL, the word basah is used whereas the word basa

is used in BL. Phoneme /b/ in IL corresponds with

phoneme /b/ in BL. Both of them are located in the

beginning. These two phonemes are related to each

other. Phoneme /a/ in IL corresponds with phoneme

/a/ in BL. Both of these phonemes are lined with

CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant). These two

phonemes are found to be related to each other.

Phoneme /s/ in IL corresponds with phoneme /s/ in

BL. Both of these two phonemes are flanked by

VCV (Vowel-Consonant-Vowel) and also are found

to be related to each other. Phoneme /a/ in IL edged

by CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) corresponds

with phoneme /a/ in BL which is located in the end.

These two phonemes are related to each other.

Phoneme /h/ in IL which is located in the end

corresponds with zero BL. These two phonemes are

found to be unrelated. Based on the correspondence

above, both of those words are under the same

categorization which is the category of sameness.

This is as depicted below.

IL BL

[basah] [basa]

b ~ b /#-- ; #-- +

a ~ a /CVC; CVC +

s ~ s / VCV; VCV +

a ~ a/CVC ; --# +

h ~ Ø /--# -

After the formula of lexico-statistic is employed,

similar words (72 root words) adds with same words

(75 root words) divided by the total words under

scrutiny (200 root words) times 100, the cognate

level retrieved is 73. The result demonstrates that IL

and BL are included in the family classification with

the cognate percentage between 36-81. Based on the

result analysis conducted, it was found several

formulas. The formula is “each phoneme /h/ in IL

will always correspond with zero in BL”. The

second formula namely, “each phoneme /ə/ in IL

will always correspond with the phoneme /a/ in BL”.

The next formula is that “each phoneme /o/ in IL

will always correspond with phoneme /u/ in BL.This

is because in BL phonemes /ə/, /h/, and /o/ are not

present. In BL consonant clusters that are found

namely /bb/, /dd/, /jj/, /ll/, /pp/, /rr/, /ss/, and /tt/.

Consonant cluster /bb/ is found in the words

[dabbu], [tabbal], and [tarabbang]. Consonant cluster

/dd/ is found in the word [duddUk]. Consonant

cluster /jj/ is found in the word [ijjaw]. Consonant

cluster /ll/ is found in the word [tallUr] and [tullaŋ].

Consonant cluster /nn/ is found in the word [banni].

Consonant cluster /pp/ is found in the word [nippis].

CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology

Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education

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Consonant cluster /rr/ is found the words [barranaŋ],

[barrat], [barri], [karrIŋ], and [parrUt]. Consonant

cluster /ss/ is found the word [bassar]. Consonant

cluster /tt/ is found in the word [ittam] and [attu].

Based on the data analysis above, new consonant

in BL namely [l], [m], [ñ], [ŋ], and [p] are found.

Consonant [l] is found in the words [gallaŋ-gallaŋ],

[maliyur], [laup], [balImpaŋ], [bala], [bajalan],

[pabila], [bulan], [bulu], [pijammIl], [jalan], [gallap],

[lamUn], [alUs], [bakalai], [kapala], [kulIt], [lain],

[laŋit], [laut], [laki-laki], [licIn], [ilat], [maliyat],

[lima], [baluja], [lutUt], [malam], [paŋgal], [laki],

[tali], [tabbal], [talIŋa], [tallUr], [tullang], and

[tUmpUl]. The new discovery amounts 36 root

words.

The discovery of new consonant [m] is found in

the words [maliyur], [amma], [balImpaŋ], [ciyum],

[manappas], [di dalam], [di mana], [pijammIl],

[mañurUŋ], [ampat], [maŋakay], [garam], [gamUk],

[maŋapUs], [ittam], [manjait], [lamUn], [kami],

[cammar], [maliyat], [lima], [bamain], [makan],

[malam], [mata], [matahari], [mati], [mira],

[minUm], [muta], [gaman], [rambUt], [rumpUt],

[sampIt], [tajam], [mañucUk], [maniyup], dan

[tUmpUl]. The words are as much as 38 root words.

The discovery of new consonant [ñ] is found in the

words [bañak], [mañurUŋ], [babuñi], [ñama], and

[mañucUk]. It amounts to 5 root words.

The discovery of new consonant [ŋ] is found in

the words [aŋin], [tutUŋ], [bapanIŋ], [balImpaŋ],

[barranaŋ], [binataŋ], [bintaŋ], [gallaŋ-gallaŋ],

[dagIŋ], [daŋan], [dataŋ], [daŋar], [mañurUŋ],

[ikkUŋ], [maŋakay], [gunUŋ], [aŋkUp], [ma

ŋapUs],

[idUŋ], itUŋ], [jantUŋ], [karrIŋ], [kunIŋ], [laŋit],

[bataŋ], [sUŋut], [badIndaŋ], [uraŋ], [panjaŋ],

[paŋgal], [pUŋgUŋ], [siyaŋ], [suŋay], [taŋan],

[talIŋa], [tarabbaŋ], [tUŋkat], [tullaŋ], and [taddUŋ].

It amounts to 38 root words.

The discovery of new consonant [p] is found in

the words [api], [biniyapa], [bapanIŋ], [balImpaŋ],

[barapa], [pabila], [manappas], [di, pada],

[pijammIl], [ampat], [angkUp], [maŋapUs], [idUp],

[irUp], [gallap], [kapala], [napas], [panas], [panjaŋ],

[pandak], [para], [parrUt], [bapikIr], [puun],

[paŋgal], [pUŋgUŋ], [pusat], [puti], [rUmpUt],

[kapay], [siyapa], [sampIt], [kaparais], [nippIs],

[maniyup], and [tUmpUl].

This study conducted in 2017 which classifies IL

and BL into Austronesia family. This is

demonstrated by comparing both of languages and

extrapolating the cognate level. After lexicostatistic

formula is employed, cognate level retrieved is 73.

The result shows that IL and BL are included in the

family classification with cognate percentage

between 36-81.

5 CONCLUSIONS

After attempting correspondence analysis towards

Indonesian language and Berau language in

Comparative Linguistics study, it can be inferred

that 75 of the root words in both languages are

similar, 72 are almost similar, and 53 are different.

Based on the result analysis, several formulas are

found namely “each phoneme /h/ in IL will always

correspond with zero in BL, each phoneme /ə/ in IL

will always correspond with phoneme /a/ in BL, and

each phoneme /o/ in IL will always correspond with

phoneme /u/ in BL”. This is because in BL

phonemes /ə/, /h/, and /o/ do not exist. Several

consonant clusters in BL are found, i.e. /bb/, /dd/,

/jj/, /ll/, /pp/, /rr/, /ss/, and /tt/. Moreover, discovery

of new consonants in BL are also identified namely

[l], [m], [ñ], [ŋ], and [p].

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to all Berau’s correspondents who have

taken the time to be interviewed for this research

data retrieval. The precious time that you give is

very useful for this research. Thanks also to the

ranks of government in Berau district that has

allowed researchers to conduct research in Berau

district.

REFERENCES

Ethnologue, 2007. Malay, Berau. Retrieved from

https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bve.

Ethnologue, 2016. Indonesian. Retrieved from

https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ind.

Keraf, G., 1996. Linguistik Bandingan Historis. Jakarta:

PT.Gramedia.

Kridalaksana, H., 2011. Kamus Linguistik. Jakarta: PT.

Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Parera, J. D., 1991. Kajian Linguistik Umum Historis

Komparatif dan Tipologi Struktural. Jakarta: Erlangga

Sudarno, 1992. Perbandingan Bahasa Nusantara. Jakarta:

Arikha Media Cipta.

Wiyanti, S., 2016. Taraf Kognat Bahasa Sunda dan Bahasa

Rejang dalam Kajian Linguistik Komparatif.

Proceeding Seminar Nusantara Pedagogi Bahasa

Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia dan Bahasa-bahasa Lain,

pp. 224-234.

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