Bunun
Austronesian (Bunun)
Bunun is a Formosan (Austronesian) language of the Bunun people, who inhabit the highest-elevation villages of central Taiwan, often above 1,000m. With ~60K ethnic Bunun and ~12K daily L1 speakers, it has five main dialect groups (Isbukun, Takbanuaz, Takivatan, Takbakha, and the extinct/moribund Takituduh); Isbukun is the modern standard. Bunun is famous worldwide for the eight-part polyphonic Pasibutbut harvest song, one of Asia's best-known indigenous polyphonic traditions, documented by Kurosawa Takatomo in 1943 and presented to UNESCO ethnomusicology archives.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Bunun
Water
danum
/danum/
Fire
sapuz
/sapuz/
Sun
vali
/vali/
Moon
buan
/buan/
Star
bintuhan
/bintuhan/
Mother
tina
/tina/
Father
tama
/tama/
I
saikin
/saikin/
You
suu
/suʔu/
Name
ngaan
/ŋaan/
Eye
mata
/mata/
Hand
ima
/ima/
Heart
is-ang
/isaŋ/
Love
madaidaz
/madaidaz/
Tree
kahu
/kahu/
House
lumaq
/lumaq/
Dog
asu
/asu/
Cat
ngingiyaw
/ŋiŋijaw/
Eat
maun
/maun/
Drink
muqun
/muqun/
One
tasa
/tasa/
Two
dusa
/dusa/
Hello
uninang
/uninaŋ/
Thank you
uninang
/uninaŋ/
Good
masial
/masial/
Sources
- Ethnologue: bnn
- Li (1988) A Comparative Study of Bunun Dialects
- Kurosawa (1943) Takasago-zoku no ongaku
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Bunun) languages
| Meaning | Bunun | Proto-Austronesian | Paiwan | Tao/Yami | Mandar | Maranao | Old Malay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | danum /danum/ | *daNum /daNum/ | zaljum /zaɭum/ | ranom /ranom/ | uai /uai/ | ig /iɡ/ | ayar /ajar/ |
| Fire | sapuz /sapuz/ | *Sapuy /Sapuy/ | sapuy /sapui/ | apuy /apuj/ | api /api/ | apoy /apoj/ | api /api/ |
| Sun | vali /vali/ | *waRi /waRi/ | qadaw /qadaw/ | araw /araw/ | mata allo /mata alːo/ | alongan /aloŋan/ | matari /matari/ |
| Moon | buan /buan/ | *bulaN /bulaN/ | qiljas /qiɭas/ | vehan /vehan/ | bulang /bulaŋ/ | bolan /bolan/ | bulan /bulan/ |
| Star | bintuhan /bintuhan/ | *bituqen /bituqen/ | vituqan /vituqan/ | vituen /vituən/ | bittoeng /bittoeŋ/ | bito-on /bitoʔon/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ |
| Mother | tina /tina/ | *ina /ina/ | kina /kina/ | ina /ina/ | indo /indo/ | ina /ina/ | ibu /ibu/ |
| Father | tama /tama/ | *ama /ama/ | kama /kama/ | ama /ama/ | ama /ama/ | ama /ama/ | bapa /bapa/ |
| I | saikin /saikin/ | *aku /aku/ | tiaken /tiakən/ | yaken /jakən/ | iyau /ijau/ | ako /ako/ | aku /aku/ |
| You | suu /suʔu/ | *iSu /iSu/ | sun /sun/ | imo /ʔimo/ | io /iʔo/ | seka /sɵka/ | kamu /kamu/ |
| Name | ngaan /ŋaan/ | *ŋajan /ŋajan/ | ngadan /ŋadan/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | sanga /saŋa/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ |
| Eye | mata /mata/ | *maCa /maCa/ | maca /matsa/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | ima /ima/ | *lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ | kamay /kamaj/ | lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ | tangan /taŋan/ |
| Heart | is-ang /isaŋ/ | *pusuq /pusuq/ | varung /vaɾuŋ/ | paso /paso/ | ate /ate/ | pusoʔ /pusoʔ/ | hati /hati/ |
| Love | madaidaz /madaidaz/ | — /—/ | nasaqaqa /nasaqaqa/ | makakdeng /makakdəŋ/ | mappinawa /mapːinawa/ | kalimo /kalimo/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ |
| Tree | kahu /kahu/ | *kaSiw /kaSiw/ | kasiw /kasiw/ | kayo /kajo/ | kaju /kaju/ | kayo /kajo/ | kayu /kaju/ |
| House | lumaq /lumaq/ | *Rumaq /Rumaq/ | umaq /umaq/ | vahay /vahaj/ | boyang /bojaŋ/ | walay /walaj/ | rumah /rumah/ |
| Dog | asu /asu/ | *asu /asu/ | vatu /vatu/ | ino /ino/ | asu /asu/ | aso /aso/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ |
| Cat | ngingiyaw /ŋiŋijaw/ | — /—/ | ngiaw /ŋiaw/ | koving /koviŋ/ | mio /mio/ | pusa /pusa/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ |
| Eat | maun /maun/ | *kaen /kaen/ | keman /kəman/ | kuman /kuman/ | ma'ande /maʔande/ | mangan /maŋan/ | makan /makan/ |
| Drink | muqun /muqun/ | *inum /inum/ | temekel /təməkəl/ | minum /minum/ | minung /minuŋ/ | minom /minom/ | minum /minum/ |
| One | tasa /tasa/ | *isa /isa/ | ita /ita/ | asa /asa/ | mesa /mesa/ | isa /isa/ | sa /sa/ |
| Two | dusa /dusa/ | *duSa /duSa/ | drusa /ɖusa/ | doa /doa/ | dua /dua/ | dowa /dowa/ | dua /dua/ |
| Hello | uninang /uninaŋ/ | — /—/ | masalu /masalu/ | akokay /akokaj/ | salama' ma'ondong /salamaʔ maʔondoŋ/ | kapian /kapijan/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | uninang /uninaŋ/ | — /—/ | masalu /masalu/ | ayoy /ajoj/ | kuru' sumanga' /kuɾuʔ sumaŋaʔ/ | salamat /salamat/ | — /—/ |
| Good | masial /masial/ | — /—/ | nguanguaq /ŋuaŋuaq/ | mapia /mapia/ | macoa /matʃoa/ | mapia /mapija/ | baik /baik/ |
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