Mah Meri language

Mah Meri
Besisi, Betise’
Native toMalaysia
RegionMalay Peninsula
EthnicityMah Meri
Native speakers
3,700 (2008)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3mhe
Glottologbesi1244
ELPMah Meri

Mah Meri, also known as Besisi, Cellate, Hma’ Btsisi’, Ma’ Betisek, and “Orang Sabat” (pejorative term),[2] is an Austroasiatic language spoken in the Malay Peninsula. Along with Semaq Beri, Semelai and Temoq, Mah Meri belongs to the Southern Aslian branch of the Aslian languages.[1] Mah Meri is the only remaining Aslian language spoken in a coastal area (on the coasts of Negeri Sembilan and Selangor) and its speaker population is 3,675 as recorded at the Orang Asli Museum in Gombak.[1] A dictionary of the Mah Meri language has been compiled by Nicole Kruspe.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b c Benjamin, Geoffrey (2012). The Aslian languages of Malaysia and Thailand: an assessment. In Stuart McGill & Peter K.Austin (eds) Language Documentation and Description, vol 11. London: SOAS. pp. 136-230
  2. ^ "Mah Meri". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Nicole Kruspe". Lund University Research Portal. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  4. ^ Kruspe, N., & Zainal, A. (2010). A Dictionary of Mah Meri as Spoken at Bukit Bangkong. Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications, (36), Iii-410. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25822793