Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Sihan
CLASSIFICATION		Austronesian, Western Malayo-Polynesian, Punan, North Borneo, Melanau-Kajang
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3; Glottolog
LANGUAGE CODE		spg; sian1255
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Sihan (Sarawak, Malaysia) - Language Snapshot” . Peter Puxon (2019) , Peter K. Austin · ELPublishing

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~250-300
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 2018

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

Transmission of Sihan to children varies from family to family, and depending on whether the family moves away from Belaga district. Sihan is widely used at home and in everyday social interactions, but on the decline in customs and traditional medicine. Older speakers can recite folk tales and healing songs in Sihan, but younger people don't know how to perform these stories or practice the traditional healing. Sihan is used in certain Bungan religious rituals, though fewer people practice that religion now.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

The community has a positive attitude toward their language

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Malay

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

The community is highly multilingual due to historical contact with other groups in the region, including exogamy.

More on Orthography

No official orthography has been developed. There is no published grammar of Sihan.

PLACES: Spoken near the upper Dangan River and the Menamang River in the Belaga district of Sarawak, Malaysia

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Data for the number of native speakers comes from S. Wurm (2000).

PLACES: Malaysia;

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50
Native speakers worldwide

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50
Native speakers worldwide

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
10-99
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
In 1981, 70 speakers were reported. Probably there are fewer today.

More on Orthography: No literacy in language

PLACES: Sarawak, Malaysia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Central Sarawak, east of Belaga, 7th Division.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Neighboring on Punan Batu

			3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger				UNESCO Publishing			Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub	50		10-99					Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)								2.3854,114.3354
ISSN: 1740-6234	Language Snapshots	August		2019	Sihan (Sarawak, Malaysia) - Language Snapshot			Peter K. Austin	ELPublishing	Language Documentation and Description	16		http://www.elpublishing.org/docs/1/16/ldd16_07.pdf	Peter Puxon	Peter Puxon (2019). Sihan (Sarawak, Malaysia) — Language Snapshot. In Peter K. Austin (ed.) Language Documentation and Description, vol 16. London: EL Publishing. pp. 176-181. http://www.elpublishing.org/PID/173		~250-300	2018	100-999		Malay	The community has a positive attitude toward their language	The community is highly multilingual due to historical contact with other groups in the region, including exogamy.	Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	11	Transmission of Sihan to children varies from family to family, and depending on whether the family moves away from Belaga district. Sihan is widely used at home and in everyday social interactions, but on the decline in customs and traditional medicine. Older speakers can recite folk tales and healing songs in Sihan, but younger people don't know how to perform these stories or practice the traditional healing. Sihan is used in certain Bungan religious rituals, though fewer people practice that religion now.	13	13		Spoken near the upper Dangan River and the Menamang River in the Belaga district of Sarawak, Malaysia		2.7199,113.7018
070071197X		3	1	2007	Australia and the Pacific	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	424-557		Routledge			Abingdon		Stephen A Wurm	Wurm, Stephen A. 2007. Australia and the Pacific. In Christopher Moseley, Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, 1 edn., 424-557. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 070071197X	ll_pub			10-99	In 1981, 70 speakers were reported. Probably there are fewer today.				Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Neighboring on Punan Batu	Sarawak, Malaysia	Central Sarawak, east of Belaga, 7th Division.
					World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.		50		10-99					Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
			16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International			Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	50		10-99	Data for the number of native speakers comes from S. Wurm (2000).				Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)						Malaysia;

Sian

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~250-300

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

10-99

Discussion

Sian

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~250-300

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

10-99

Discussion

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