KULTURISTIK: Jurnal Bahasa dan Budaya Vol. 5, No. 2, Juli 2021, 1-6 PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE DIALECTS OF KAMBERA Doi: 10.22225/kulturistik.5.2.3654 PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE DIALECTS OF KAMBERA Raynesta Mikaela Indri Malo Universitas Kristen Wira Wacana Sumba [email protected] ABSTRACT Kambera language is a regional language used by speakers who live in the eastern part of the island of Sumba, in this case East Sumba Regency. In previous studies, the claim stated by the researchers is that there is only 1 language spoken in East Sumba. However, the people of East Sumba, as native speakers, claim that there are several languages used depending on the villages. This study aims to map these languages/dialects. This descriptive preliminary study is limited to make an inventory of basic vocabulary between 11 different locations determined based on the number of paraingu namely kabihu unions or ethnic clans in the past. The basic vocabularies are taken from Sawdesh 200-list and Leipzig-Jakarta 100-list. The combination of these lists results in 223 basic vocabularies which become the main data for this study. The data were collected through recording and note-taking. Keywords: dialect; Kambera; Sumba INTRODUCTION only differentiated geographically but also Kambera is a native language spoken by culturally. People are not only classified roughly 150,000 speakers in the eastern part of because they live in different geographic areas Sumba Island of the province Nusa Tenggara but also because they are culturally different. It Timur in eastern Indonesia. Blust classified it as means that they hold certain kinds of cultures, belonging to the Central-Malayo-Polynesian customs, and languages that are different from subgroup. Kambera is included in the other areas. These phenomena also happen in Austronesian language family (Blust, 2013). In Sumba Timur where geographic borders lead to Sumba, there are several other indigenous more differences such as for languages. People languages spoken including Weyewa (75,000), of Sumba Timur are culturally and historically Kodi (40,000), Lamboya (15,000), Wanukaka divided into two legal institutions or groups. (10,000), Anakalang (14,000) and Mamboru The first is Kabihu which refers to the clans or (16,000) (Wurm, 1994). Of those languages, gens. The second is Paraingu which refers to the Weyewa and Kodi, in particular, appear to be territorial groups consisted of several kabihu. In incomprehensible by speakers of Kambera 1970, as the Dutch came to Sumba, the region (Klamer, 2011). It means that speakers of was divided into 7 swapraja which consisted of Kambera cannot understand Weyewa and Kodi. one or several paraingu, (i) Lewa – Kambera, However, they can understand the other (ii) Kanatang, (iii) Tabundungu, (iv) Masu – languages (or dialects) spoken in other Sumba Karera, (v) Melolo, (vi) Rindi – Mangili, and regions. It is not yet decided whether the others (vii) Waijilu (Kapita, 1976). are languages or dialects. Klamer mentioned that “Kambera is spoken Kambera itself is spoken in all area of in the whole eastern region of Sumba with Kabupaten Sumba Timur, the region of the different degrees of dialectical variations” eastern part of Sumba Island. Since 2007, this (Klamer, 1998). It means that, although this region is divided into 22 kecamatan or region is now divided into 22 subdistricts subdistricts for governmental importance geographically, 9 at the time Klamer did her (“http://www.sumbatimurkab.go.id/sejarah.ht project in 1998, and 7 swapraja in 1910, the ml,” n.d.). However, as generally happens in limit is not always about the geographic area Indonesia and other countries, areas are not but also in language problems. It is clear that E-ISSN: 2580-4456 P-ISSN: 2580-9334 Copyright © 2021 1 PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE DIALECTS OF KAMBERA Klamer mentioned it as dialects, not languages. often largely mutually intelligible to speakers of The language spoken in all eastern area of the same language, especially if close to one Sumba Island is just one language with another on the dialect continuum. A dialect different dialects. A rule that is applied to this does not only emerge due to regional speech notion is that “when dialects become mutually patterns but also due to other aspects such as unintelligible – when the speakers of one social class or ethnicity. dialect group can no longer understand the Wakelin (1989) defined dialect as all the speakers of another dialect group – these linguistic elements in one form of a language ‘dialects’ become different languages” including phonological, grammatical, and (Fromkin, 2000). This rule cannot be applied in lexical elements. It is in line with Finegan who Sumba Timur since the speakers of Kambera defined a dialect as a language variety in its from different areas of kecamatan or swapraja totality including vocabulary, grammar, can understand each other although not fully. pronunciation, and even pragmatics aspects “We shall …… refer to dialects of one language (Finegan, 2004). It can be concluded that a as mutually intelligible versions of the same dialect is a form of a language that is spoken in basic grammar, with systematic differences a particular area and that uses some of its own between them” (Fromkin, 2000). Wakelin words (lexicon), grammar, and pronunciations. (1989) defined dialect as all the linguistic As a characteristic of a particular social elements in one form of a language including group, dialects can be the characteristic of phonological, grammatical, and lexical regional, ethnic, socioeconomics, or gender elements. groups. A dialect that is associated with a This study is a comparative linguistic study particular social class can be termed a sociolect, that aims at comparing the dialects of Kambera a dialect that is associated with a particular language. The comparison discussed here is ethnic group can be termed as ethnolect, and a limited to the lexical elements or the basic regional dialect may be termed a regiolect vocabularies, not including the grammatical (Wolfram and Schilling, 2016). and phonological elements. However, as this is It is not always easy to decide whether a a preliminary study, it is hoped that the data will dialect should be regarded as a dialect of a lead to a more comprehensive discussion, particular language or as an independent which might include the grammatical and language. Mutually intelligible is the key to phonological aspects of Kambera language. deciding it. It means that “when the dialects This study is aimed at making inventory of the become mutually unintelligible – when the basic vocabularies of Kambera based on the 11 speakers of one dialect group can no longer areas mentioned previously. These understand the speakers of another dialect comparisons, differences, and similarities are group – these ‘dialects’ become different hoped to be the basis for further analysis of this languages” (Fromkin, 2000). The contrary language, for instance to map out the dialects of means that the dialects are from the same Kambera spoken in Sumba Timur and finding language. the percentage of lexical cognates between the The cause of dialectical differences might dialects which then can help to determine be found in the fact that people or groups of whether they are dialects or separate languages. people are separated from each other Dialect refers to a variety of language, geographically and socially. The separation which is related to a certain regional or social leads to the lock of certain language features group (Fought, 2006). A language may have and changes of particular language use in that several dialects when it is spoken in different group only. Some features or aspects might be areas by different social or ethnic groups. Each used only and are spread and inherited in that group has its own way of speaking the group and cannot be accessed by other groups language. It is what a dialect is. A dialect is the due to the separation. “When some characteristic of a particular group of the communication barriers separate some groups language's speakers. The dialects of a particular of speakers – be it physical barriers such as an language are closely related and, although they ocean or a mountain range, or social barriers of are different in particular aspects, they are most political, racial, class, or religious kind – E-ISSN: 2580-4456 P-ISSN: 2580-9334 Copyright © 2021 2 PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE DIALECTS OF KAMBERA linguistics changes are not easily spread and Anakalang (An). There were also 2 other dialectical differences are reinforced” languages from outside Sumba that were used (Fromkin, 2000). for comparative matter, Sawu language from There are previous researches that studied Sabu Island, and Bima language from Nusa the languages in Sumba and Kambera in Tenggara Barat Province. The study was aimed particular. Klamer mentioned some of them in at describing whether the 7 isolects can be her work regarded as dialects or as different languages. It “The oldest publication in which a also described the genealogy relationship of the language of Sumba is mentioned is Heymering 7 isolects. The data of this study consisted of (1846), which contains a brief word list of the linguistic data in the form of lexicons from the dialect of Mangili. Other word lists are given by 7 isolects and the other two languages which Roos (1872), De Roo van Alderwerelt (1891), were captured using the Swadesh 200 list Vermast (1895), Pos (1901), and Wielenga vocabulary, images and recording devices in (1917). Van der Velden (1900) is a brief the form of tape recorders. The type of data description of the language of the Laura district identified consists of secondary data and in western Sumba. Wielenga (1909), Onvlee primary data. Secondary data was taken from (1925) and Kapita (1983) are short grammars of the dictionaries of the 7 isolects and of the other Kambera.