The Iban language (jaku Iban) is spoken by the Iban, a branch of the Dayak ethnic group, formerly known as "Sea Dayak" who live in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan and in Brunei. It belongs to Malayic languages a Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, and is related to Malay, more closely to Sarawakian Malay. It is thought that the homeland of the Malayic languages is in western Borneo, where the Ibanic languages remain. The Malayan branch represents a secondary dispersal, probably from central Sumatra but possibly also from Borneo.^[2] The Iban language is also a subject tested in PMR and SPM, the Malaysian public examinations for Form 3 and Form 5 students respectively. Students comment that questions from these exams mostly cover the classic Iban language, making them a daunting task for many who are more fluent in the contemporary tongue.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} The language is mostly taught to students in rural areas with a majority Iban population, including Baleh (Kapit), Betong, Sri Aman, Saratok, Lubok Antu, Pelagus (Kapit), Pakan and Julau.

Dialects

The Iban can be subdivided into different sub-ethnic groups. Each of them speak in different dialects. The most formal, intermediate and working dialect is the Saribas district(mainly Betong and Saratok). Others such as Balaus, Sebuyaus, Ulu Ai, or Rejangs are mutually intelligible throughout the Sarawak region, with the exception of the Iban Remun/milikin dialects, which is still intelligible to Ibans from other districts. In West Kalimantan, dialects such as Bugaus, Seberuangs, Mualangs, Chengkangs, Sebarus, Daus are more disparate. Here are some examples of the differences in the various dialects spoken in Sarawak and West Kalimantan, with their English equivalents:

• Entai ku ngilau - "Nadai aku meda." (I did not see it.)
• Entauk ku badak - "Enda ku nemu." (I don't know.)

Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

Vowel sounds are nasalized when preceding nasal consonants.

Writing system

Although the Iban language is presently written using the Latin alphabet, an Iban syllabary was devised by Dunging anak Gunggu, who reportedly spent fifteen years from 1947 to 1962 devising the script.^[3] Twenty generations before Dunging, which would represent approximately 400–600 years, an ancestor named Renggi also devised a script, but it was lost in a flood apparently. {{citation needed|date=March 2019}} The Iban syllabary is published but is not widely distributed; recent efforts by Dr. Bromeley Philip of Universiti Teknologi MARA to promote and revitalize the use of script have resulted in the creation of digital fonts, a teaching program, and the transcription of several traditional folktales.^[4]

Grammar

The prefix is used to show work or something action to be. The prefix is put in front of the verb.

There are many prefixes used in Iban language. For example, gagai used in many style of prefix base on condition of the word.

• gagai = chase
• begagai = Chasing/playing with each other
• begagaika = Chasing something/someone
• ngagai = to chase
• digagai = being chase by
• dipegagaika = being chased by many
• pengagai = chaser
• tegagaika = outrun/-outpace

There are four types of affixes in Iban language, namely prefixes, suffixes, circumfixes and infixes .

Other examples:

• Sayau - Love
• Dikesayauka - Was loved by
• Penyayau - Affection
• Kiruh - Busy
• Ngiruhka - to make someone busy-
• Pengiruh - preoccupied
• Pengiruh-ngiruh - really preoccupied
• Enjuk - give
• Berenjuk - giving each other (present)
• ngenjuk
• Dienjuk - gave (past)
• Deka ngenjuk - will be given (future)
• Pengenjuk - giver
• Kangau - call
• Bekangau - calling each other (present)
• Ngangau - calling (present)
• Dikangau - was called (past)
• Deka dikangau - will be called (future)
• Pengangau - caller

Personal pronouns

Iban has separate words for inclusive and exclusive we, and distinguishes singular, dual, and plural.

Sample

• Ke nuan - "for you"
• Ke aku - "for me"
• Ke kami - "for us"
• Bup aku - "My book"
• Bakih aku - "My friend"
• Apai aku - "My father"
• Gamal nuan - "Your look"
• Sulu nuan - "Your beloved"
• Sekula kami - "Our school"
• Ke pangan aku -"for my beloved"
• Ke anak aku - "for my child"
• Ari indai di - "From your mother"
• Ari bakih aku - "From my friend"

Possessive pronouns

Sample phases:

• baju tu engku - "This shirt is mine."
• Tu enggi nuan - "This is yours"
• Siti nyin enggi tua - "That one belongs to both of us"

Demonstrative determiners

There are three demonstrative determiners in Iban. Tu "this, these" is used for a noun which is generally near to the speaker, nya "that, those" is used for a noun which is generally far from the speaker and "Nyin" which is the furthest from the speaker.

These words can also act as demonstrative pronouns where they can stands on theirs own, replacing rather than modifying a noun.

Example:

• Nyamai tu. - This is good.
• Ok meh nya. - That's Ok.
• Peda di nyin dih. - Look at that.

Demonstrative pronouns

In Iban, demonstrative pronouns are words that show which person or thing is being referred in relation to the location of the addressee to the speaker. There are three demonstrative pronouns in Iban depending on location to the speaker. They can only be used to refer to an addressee (human) and cannot be used to refer to inanimate objects.

Examples:

• Nama gaga iya tu baka nya?. - Why is this person acting in such a way?
• Kini ke iya nya tadi? - Where is he going? (Referring to the second closest person to the speaker)
• Ni iya nyin tadi dih? - Where is the other (person) one?.(referring to third person which is the furthest form the speaker)

Adverbs

Demonstrative adverbs

Demonstrative adverbs in Iban are closely related to the demonstrative pronouns in Iban grammar. For example, corresponding to the demonstrative pronouns are the adverbs such as kitu (= going here), kia (= "going there") and kin (= "going there (farthest)") equivalent adverbs corresponding to the demonstrative pronoun this are tu, nya and nyin.

Examples:

• Kitu nuan. - Come here (you).
• Kini di kia? - Why are you going there? (Within the sight of the speaker)
• Aram kin tua. - Let's go there. (Referring to location far away from speaker)

Locatives

Examples:

• Aku nganti nuan ditu. - I wait for you here.
• Aku nganti nuan dia. - I wait for you there. (not far from the speaker location).
• Din ku nganti nuan. - I wait for you there.(referring to a far place)

Manner

Iban also has a set of adverbs referring to manner. They are a combination of baka (ke) ("like/as") and the abbreviated determiner forms tu, nya and nyin.

Examples:

• Aku ka iya baka tu. - I want it to be like this.
• Nama di ngaga iya baka nya? - Why did you treat him like this?
• Uji gaga di baka ke nyin. - Try to do it like that.

Examples

Numbers

Family

Days

Example:

Tulat tua betemu - We'll meet again the third day.

Ensanus ku bisi meda iya - I saw him two days ago.

Months

The Iban calendar is one month ahead of the Gregorian calendar as follows:

Sample phrases

Bible Translation

Genesis 1:1-3

Ba pun iya kelia, lebuh Allah Taala berengkah ngaga langit enggau dunya, dunya endang apin bisi bakal tauka gamal sereta nadai utai nguan. Semina ribut ti deras ari Allah Taala aja ti bepuput atas tasik ti agi petang. Allah Taala lalu bejaku, “Awakka penampak pegari.” Penampak lalu pegari. Allah Taala meda penampak nya manah; lalu Iya nyeraraka penampak nya ari pemetang. Iya ngumbai penampak nya “Siang” lalu pemetang nya dikumbai Iya “Malam.” Lemai ambis lalu pagi pen datai. Nya hari ti keterubah.^[5]

Translation

In the beginning God created heaven and earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The spirit of God was hovering over the water. Then God said, "Let there be light!" So there was light. God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness. God named the light "day", and the darkness he named "night". There was evening, then morning, the first day.

Sources

Anthony Richards, An Iban-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 1981. [Paperback reprint in the 1988 by Penerbit Fajar Bakti, Petaling Jaya. {{ISBN|967653384X}}]

Asmah Haji Omar, The Iban Language of Sarawak: A Grammatical Description. Kuala Lumpur: Kementarian Pelajaran Malaysia, 1981.

Otto Steinmayer, Jalai Jako' Iban, a basic grammar of the Iban language of Sarawak. Klasik Publishing House: Kuching, 1999.

Renang Anak Ansali, Jaku Iban serta basa kitai. University of London Magazine, 2002.

Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia / Jabatan Pelajaran Sarawak /Pusat Perkembangan Kurikulum KPM 2007

References

External links

• Ator Sambiang Mass Baru: The Holy Eucharist in Iban (1980) Anglican eucharistic liturgy digitized by Richard Mammana