Simeulue language

The Simeulue language is spoken by the Simeulue people of Simeulue off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Names

Simeulue is also called Mae o, which literally means 'Where are you going?'. Ethnologue also lists Long Bano, Simalur, Simeuloë, Simolol, and Simulul as alternate names.

Varieties

Simeulue is spoken in five of eight districts of Simeulue Regency and in the Banyak Islands, Aceh Singkil Regency. It includes at least three dialects.

Devayan: spoken in the four southern districts of Teupah Selatan, Simeulue Timur, Teupah Barat, and Teluk Dalam.
Simolol : spoken around Kampung Aie in Simeulue Tengah.
Haloban: spoken in two villages in Banyak Islands, namely Haloban and Asantola.

Sikule and Leukon, related to Nias, is spoken in Salang, Alafan, and Simeulue Barat in northern Simeulue, while Jamee, related to Minangkabau, is spoken in the capital city of Sinabang and has become the lingua franca of the island.

Phonology

The phonemes /d c ɟ g j ɲ/ do not appear word-finally.
/ɲ/ also does not appear word-initially.

	Front	Central	Back
High
Mid-high
Mid-low
Low

Additionally, the following diphthongs have been observed: /au/, /ai/, /ɔi/.