In today's world, Sabahan languages has become a topic of great interest and relevance. Its impact covers aspects in various fields, from technology to health, including politics and culture. It is evident that Sabahan languages arouses great interest in today's society, generating debates and reflections around its implications and consequences. In this article, we will further explore the role and influence of Sabahan languages in different spheres of life, analyzing its relevance in the current context and its future projection.
Lobel (2013:367–368) lists the following Proto-Southwest Sabahan phonological innovations that were developed from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian. (Note: PSWSAB stands for Proto-Southwest Sabahan, while PMP stands for Proto-Malayo-Polynesian.)
PMP *h > PSWSAB Ø
PMP *a > PSWSAB *ə / _# (possibly be an areal feature in Sabah or northern Borneo, since this is also found in Idaanic)
PMP *R > PSWSAB *h / (a,i,u)_(a,ə,u)
PMP *R > PSWSAB *g / ə_
PMP *-m- > ø in PSWSAB reflexes of the PMP pronoun forms *kami ‘1EXCL.NOM’, *mami ‘1EXCL.GEN’, and *kamu ‘2PL.NOM’
Reduction of most PMP consonant clusters to either singletons or prenasalized clusters
Smith (2017)
Smith (2017) proposes a North Borneo group comprising the North Sarawak, Northeast Sabah, and Southwest Sabah branches.
Adelaar, K. Alexander; Himmelmann, Nikolaus, eds. (2005). The Austronesian Languages of Asia and Madagascar. Oxon, UK: Routledge.
King, Julie K.; King, John Wayne, eds. (2015). Languages of Sabah: A Survey Report. Pacific Linguistics, Series C – No. 78. Canberra: Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. doi:10.15144/PL-C78.