Kayan language (Borneo)

For the unrelated "Kayan" language spoken by the Kayan people of Burma, see Padaung language.
Kayan
Kajan
Native toIndonesia, Malaysia
RegionBorneo
EthnicityKayans
Native speakers
(35,000 cited 1981–2007)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
xay – Kayan Mahakam
kys – Baram Kayan
bfg – Busang Kayan
xkn – Kayan River Kayan
xkd – Mendalam Kayan
ree – Rejang Kayan
whu – Wahau Kayan
bhv – Bahau
Glottologkaya1333  Kayanic

Kayan (Kajan, Kayan proper) is a dialect cluster spoken by the Kayan people of Borneo. It is a cluster of closely related dialects with limited mutual intelligibility, and is itself part of the Kayan-Murik group of Austronesian languages.

Baram Kayan is a local trade language.[further explanation needed] Bahau is part of the dialect cluster, but is not ethnically Kayan.

  1. ^ Kayan Mahakam at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Baram Kayan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Busang Kayan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Kayan River Kayan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Mendalam Kayan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Rejang Kayan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    (Additional references under 'Language codes' in the information box)