Semaq Beri language
language
Semaq Beri (Semoq Beri) is an Austroasiatic language spoken in the Malay Peninsula in the states of Pahang and Terengganu. It belongs to the Southern division of the Aslian languages, along with Semelai, Temoq, and Mah Meri. A preliminary description of the Semaq Beri language by Nicole Kruspe was published in 2014.
The Semaq Beri are a heterogeneous community, with the northern groups display more characteristics shared with the Northern Aslian speakers such as engaging in mobile foraging, while the southern groups are active in forest product trading and horticulture. Historically, Semaq Beri speakers lacked their own endonym. Semaq Beri is the calque of Malay Orang Hutan 'forest people', and it was bestowed by colonial authorities when the Semaq Beri came under their attention in the 1950s. Prior to this, they were simply labelled by colonial government by the terms Sakai or Jakun.
Phonology
The data for Semaq Beri phonology was collected by Kruspe (2014) from a resettlement community in Terengganu (northern) as part of the author's documentations of the Aslian languages.
Word structure
The typical phonological template of Semaq Beri ranges from [CV] to [Cə.'CVC]. An epenthetic vowel, usually [ə], occurs between consonant sequences, or [u] if the following phoneme is of labio-velar or palatal segment.
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