Language Typology In Barrier Islands Of Sumatra: A Phonological Comparison Between Enggano And Mentawai Language

Abstract

Enggano and Mentawai are languages of the barrier islands off the western coast of Sumatra, yet the extent of their phonological relationship remains insufficiently defined. This study examines their phonological relationship and associated cultural correspondence, with particular attention to nasal sounds. A qualitative descriptive design was combined with an ethnolinguistic field approach. The linguistic data consist of a 200-item Swadesh list in Enggano and Mentawai and ten supplementary items selected to examine nasal realizations. Recordings and lexical data were organized through ELAN and FLEx, while representative sound segments were inspected with Praat and the lexical relationship was calculated lexicostatistically. The analysis identifies 36 cognate items from the 200-word comparison, producing a cognate percentage of 18%, which places the relationship in the stock/group range used in the study. Nasal realizations also show systematic differences, with Enggano displaying stronger nasal correspondence with adjacent vowels than Mentawai. Culturally, both communities retain ancestral-spirit traditions and subsistence practices, although their kinship systems differ. The findings indicate relatedness without dialectal identity and underline the distinctiveness of Enggano within the western Sumatran barrier-island linguistic setting.