Sama–Bajaw languages

The Sama–Bajaw languages are a well-established group of languages spoken by the Sama-Bajau peoples of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Languages

Grimes identifies nine Sama–Bajaw languages.

Balangingi
Central Sama
Southern Sama
Pangutaran Sama
Mapun
Yakan
Abaknon
Indonesian Bajau
West Coast Bajau

The first six are spoken in the Sulu region of the southern Philippines. Indonesian Bajau is spoken mainly in Sulawesi and West Coast Bajau in Sabah, Borneo. Several dialects of the languages can be identified.
Blust states that lexical evidence indicates that Sama–Bajaw originated in the Barito region of southeast Borneo, although not from any established group of Barito languages. Ethnologue has followed, calling the resulting group 'Greater Barito'.

Classification

Pallesen classifies the Sama–Bajaw languages as follows.

Sama-Bajaw
*Abaknon
*Yakan: Northern Yakan, Southern Yakan
*Sibuguey
*Sulu-Borneo
**Western Sulu: Sama Pangutaran, Sama Ubian
**Inner Sulu
***Northern Sulu: Tagtabun Balangingiq, Tongquil Balangingiq, Linungan, Panigayan Balangingiq, Landang-Guaq, Mati, Sama Daongdong, Kawit Balangingiq, Karundung, Pilas
***Central Sulu: Sama Kaulungan, Sama Dilaut, Sama Kabingan, Sama Musuq, Sama Laminusa, Sama Balimbing, Sama Bannaran, Sama Bangaw-Bangaw, South Ubian
***Southern Sulu: Sama Tanduq-baas, Sama Simunul, Sama Pahut, Sama Sibutuq, Sama Sampulnaq
***Sama Lutangan, Sama Sibukuq
**Borneo Coast
***Jama Mapun
***Sabah Land Bajaw: Kota Belud Bajaw, Kawang Bajaw, Papar Bajaw, Banggi Bajaw, Putatan Bajaw
***Indonesian Bajaw: Sulamu, Kajoa, Roti, Jaya Bakti, Poso, Togian 1, Wallace, Togian 2, Minahasa

The Ethnologue divides Sinama into seven languages based on mutual intelligibility. The seven Sinama languages are Northern Sinama, Central Sinama, Southern Sinama, Sinama Pangutaran from the island of Pangutaran off of Jolo island, Mapun, Bajau West Coast of Sabah and Bajau Indonesia. Jama Mapun, a language from the island of Mapun, formerly known as Cagayan de Sulu, is a related language and sometimes also referred to as Sinama. These classifications are rarely recognized by Sama themselves who instead classify their Sinama by the village or island it originates from. The emic classification of a Sama person's language e.g. Silumpak, Laminusa, Tabawan generally form the different dialects of the seven Sinama or Bajau languages.
Together, West Coast Bajau, Indonesian Bajau, and Mapun comprise a Borneo Coast Bajaw branch in Ethnologue.

Dialects

The following is a list of Sama-Bajaw dialects. Locations and demographics are from Palleson and Ethnologue.

West Coast Bajau
*Kota Belud: Kota Belud, 60 km north of Kota Kinabalu
*Putatan
*Papar: Papar, 50 km south of Kota Kinabalu
*Banggi: Banggi Island, north of Kudat in the north of Sabah
*Sandakan
*Pitas
*Kawang: Kawang, 40 km south of Kota Kinabalu
Indonesian Bajau
*Jampea
*Same
*Matalaang
*Sulamu: Sulamu, Kupang Bay, southern Timor. 400 speakers.
*Kajoa: Kajoa Island, 80 km south of Ternate off the west coast of Halmahera
*Roti: Roti Island, southwest of Timor. Fewer than 200 speakers.
*Jaya Bakti: Jaya Bakti, Banggai Regency, central Sulawesi. 3,000 speakers.
*Poso: Polande, Poso Regency, on the southeast coast of the Gulf of Poso, central Sulawesi
*Togian 1: Pulaw Enaw, just off the south coast of Togian Island, Gulf of Tomini, Sulawesi
*Togian 2: Togian Islands, Gulf of Tomini, Sulawesi
*Wallace: exact location unknown, probably central Moluccas. 117 words collected by Alfred Russel Wallace around 1860.
Inabaknon: Capul Island, off the coast of northwestern Samar, central Philippines
Yakan: eastern Basilan Island, southern Zamboanga Peninsula. 60,000 speakers.
*Northern Yakan: northern part of eastern Basilan Island
*Southern Yakan: southern part of eastern Basilan Island
Pangutaran Sama
*Sama Pangutaran: Pangutaran Island, 50 km northwest of Jolo City. 12,000 speakers. Some live in Palawan
*Sama Ubihan: North Ubian Island, a few miles southwest of Pangutaran. 2,000 speakers. Also called aa ubian, aa sowang buna 'people of Buna channel'.
Inner Sulu Sama branch
*Northern Sama
**Lutangan : mainland of Mindanao opposite Olutanga Island
**Sibuco-Vitali ': inland area across the Zamboanga Peninsula, 50 km north of Zamboanga City. 11,000 speakers. Also called sama bitali, sama nawan.
**Sibuguey ': Kulasihan River on the eastern side of Sibuguey Bay between Olutanga Island and the head of the bay
**Balangingi
**Daongdung : Daongdong Island, off the southeast coast of Jolo Island
**Kabingaan
**Tagtabun Balangingi: Tagtabun Island, just east of Zamboanga City. Regular population of 300 as of 1972. Also called bahasa bāngingi' .
**Tongquil Balangingi: Tongquil Island in the Samales group, east of Jolo Island. 8,000 speakers. Also called sama tongkil.
**Linungan: Linungan or Cocos Island, off the northeast coast of Basilan Island
**Panigayan Balangingi: Malamawi Island, just off the west coast of Basilan Island. Several hundred speakers. Also called bahasa balangingi .
**Landang-Gua: Sakol or Landang Island, just east of Zamboanga City, north of Tagtabun Island. Also called aa landang-gua.
**Mati: Mati, Davao Oriental, just east of the San Agustin Peninsula
**Kawit Balangingi: Kawit, 10 km west of Zamboanga City
**Karundung: Karundung, on the southeast coast of Jolo Island
**Pilas: Pilas Islands, 15 km west of Basilan Island
*Central Sama
**Sama Deya
**Sama Dilaut: throughout Sulu, but especially in Zamboanga City, in Siasi, and in Sitangkai, south of Tawi-Tawi Island. 80,000 speakers in the Philippines. Also called sama toongan 'genuine Sama'; sama pagūng 'floating Sama'; sama palau 'boat-dwelling Sama'.
**Sama Siasi
**Sama Laminusa: Laminusa Island, just off the north coast of Siasi Island. 5,000 speakers.
**Sama Tabawan
**Sama Kaulungan: Kaulungan Island, just off the eastern end of Basilan Island. At least 1,000 speakers.
**Sama Musu: south coast of Siasi Island. 3,000 speakers. Intermarriage with Sama Dilaut. Also called Sama Lipid by the Sama Dilaut.
**Sama Balimbing: Balimbing, on the east coast of Tawi-Tawi Island
**Sama Bannaran: Bannaran Island, Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi.
**Sama Bangaw-Bangaw: near Sandakan on the northeast coast of Sabah
**South Ubihan: South Ubian Island, east of the northeast end of Tawi-Tawi Island. Census figure of 27,000, including the population of Tandubas.
*Southern Sama
**Sibutu : Sibutu Island, southwest of Bongao Island. About 10,000 speakers.
**Simunul: Simunul Island, south of Bongao Island. 10,000 speakers. Also called sama səddopan.
**Tandubas : Tandubas Island, just of the northeastern point of Tawi-Tawi Island. Census figure of 27,000, including the population of Tandubas. Also called aa tandu-bās 'people of Tandu-Bas', aa ungus matata 'people of Ungus Matata'. The Sama of central Sulu call them obian, ubian, sama sddopan 'Southern Sama'.
**Obian
**Bongao
**Sitangkai
**Languyan
**Sapa-Sapa
**Sama Pahut: Bongao Island. About 1,000 speakers.
**Sama Sampulna: Semporna, east Sabah
**Berau, East Kalimantan about 46,000 speakers.
Mapun: 43,000 in the Philippines; 15,000 Mapun people in Sabah, Malaysia
*Mapun is spoken on Cagayan de Sulu island, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines.
**20,000 in Mapun island
**5,000 to 10,000 Mapun people in Palawan
Bajau West Coast Sabah
*Kota Belud
*Tuaran
*Kudat
Bajau Indonesia
*Gorontalo Torosiaje, Popayato, Pohuwato

Northern Sinama	Central Sinama	Southern Sinama	Sinama Pangutaran	Sinama Mapun	Bajau West Coast Sabah	Bajau Indonesia
Tagtabun Balangingi	Sama Kaulungan	Simunul	Pangutaran		Kota Belud	Torosiaje
Tonquil Balangingi	Sama Dilaut	Sibutu	Ubian		Tuaran	-
Linungan	Musu	Tandubas			Kudat	-
Panigayan Balangingi	Laminusa	Sitangkai			Pitas	-
Landang-Gua	Balimbing	Ubian	-	-	-	-
Sama Daongdong	Bannaran	Languyan	-	-	-	-
Kawit Balangingi	Bangaw-Bangaw	Sapa-Sapa	-	-	-	-
Karundung	Tabawan	Bongao/Sanga-Sanga/Pahut	-	-	-	-
Pilas	Manubal	Berau East Kalimantan	-	-	-	-
	Silumpak	-	-	-	-	-
	Kabingaan	-	-	-	-	-

Distribution

West Coast Bajau is distributed in the following locations of Sabah, Malaysia.

scattered along the west coast from Papar district to Kudat district, mainly in Tuaran and Kota Belud towns
Telutu village, Banggi Island, Kudat district
Pitas district: along the west coast and Mengkubau Laut, Mengkapon, Dalima, Mapan-Mapan, Pantai Laut, Layag-Layag, Mausar, Jambangan, Sibayan Laut, and Kanibungan villages

Indonesian Bajau is widely distributed throughout Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara. It is also located throughout Maluku Utara Province in the Bacan Islands, Obi Islands, Kayoa, and Sula Islands, which are located to the southwest of Halmahera Island.
Mapun is spoken on Cagayan de Sulu island, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines.
Ethnologue provides the following location information for various Sama languages.
Northern Sama is located in western Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago northeast of Jolo, Zamboanga coast peninsula and islands, and Basilan island.

Northern Sama dialect: White Beach near Subic Bay, Luzon
Lutangan dialect: Olutanga Island. Possibly also in Luzon and Palawan.

Central Sama is located in:

Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces: Siasi, Tabawan, Bongao, Sitangkai, Cagayan de Sulu island
Basilan Island: Maluso, Malamawi, Bohe Lobbong
Zamboanga del Sur Province: Rio Hondo, Campo Islam, Batuan Lumbayaw, Taluksangay, Sanggali
Zamboanga del Norte Province: Olutanga, Sibuco
Davao City: Isla Verde and Sasa
Cagayan de Oro
Cebu and Tagbilaran
Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Batangas

Southern Sama is located in Tawi-Tawi Island Province and East Kalimantan
Pangutaran Sama is spoken on Pangutaran Island, located to the west of Jolo; and in Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi, southern Palawan
Yakan is spoken in Basilan and small surrounding islands; Sakol island; and the eastern coast of Zamboanga. Yakan tends to be concentrated away from the coast.
Inabaknon is spoken on Capul Island, Northern Samar Province. Capul Island is located in the San Bernardino Strait, which separates Samar from the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon.
Bajau West Coast Sabah is spoken in Kota Belud, Kudat, and Tuaran which is on mutual intelligibility with Bajau East Coast of Sabah.