Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Balait Jati, Lemeting, Meting
CLASSIFICATION		Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, North Borneo, North Sarawakan
ORTHOGRAPHY		Unwritten
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		beg
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (2)

Information from: “Belait” (429-455) . Adrian Clynes (2005) , Alexander Adelaar and Nikolaus Himmelmann · London & New York: Routledge

Severely endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
700
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1995

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

According to Clynes, all dialects of Belait are now threatened with extinction, with the language, like other minority languages in Brunei, being displaced by Brunei Malay. Additionally, Peter Martin reported in 1995 that more than 90%% of ethnically Belait parents interviewed reported that they used Brunei Malay rather than Belait as the language of primary communication with their offspring, who generally do not speak the language.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Brunei Malay and English

PLACES: Brunei

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Belait and Tutong districts. Kuala Balai and Labi villages. In the past 50 years many speakers have moved to the coastal oil towns of Seria and Kuala Belait. Also found in the village of Mungkom.

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
>1,000?
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"1,000 in Brunei."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Shifting to Brunei Malay [kxd]."
Scripts (Writing system): Unwritten

PLACES: Brunei; Malaysia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: In Brunei: "Scattered in Belait District; Tutong District in Kampung Kiudang." In Malaysia: "Sarawak."

	Routledge Language Family Series				2005	Belait	The Austronesian Languages of Asia and Madagascar	429-455		Alexander Adelaar and Nikolaus Himmelmann		London & New York: Routledge									Adrian Clynes	Clynes, Adrian. 2005. "Belait." In The Austronesian Languages of Asia and Madagascar, edited by Alexander Adelaar and Nikolaus Himmelmann. 429-455. London & New York: Routledge.	HHOLD					700	1995	100-999					Brunei Malay is used in most domains	Brunei Malay and English						Almost the entire community speaks Brunei Malay, and many speak English	Severely Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14		According to Clynes, all dialects of Belait are now threatened with extinction, with the language, like other minority languages in Brunei, being displaced by Brunei Malay. Additionally, Peter Martin reported in 1995 that more than 90%% of ethnically Belait parents interviewed reported that they used Brunei Malay rather than Belait as the language of primary communication with their offspring, who generally do not speak the language.	14	15			Brunei	Belait and Tutong districts. Kuala Balai and Labi villages. In the past 50 years many speakers have moved to the coastal oil towns of Seria and Kuala Belait. Also found in the village of Mungkom.	4.582, 114.233; 4.454, 114.32; 4.731, 114.742
			18th		2015	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 18th Edition				Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig		SIL International			Dallas, Texas					http://www.ethnologue.com		Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2015. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Eighteenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com.						>1,000?		1000-9999	"1,000 in Brunei."					Brunei Malay [kxd]				"Shifting to Brunei Malay [kxd]."			Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)								Brunei; Malaysia	In Brunei: "Scattered in Belait District; Tutong District in Kampung Kiudang." In Malaysia: "Sarawak."

Belait

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

700

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

>1,000?

Discussion