Uma language

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title: "Uma language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["kaili–pamona-languages", "languages-of-sulawesi"] description: "Austronesian language spoken in Sulawesi, Indonesia" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uma_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Austronesian language spoken in Sulawesi, Indonesia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]

Field	Value
name	Uma
nativename	Pipikoro
region	Sulawesi
state	Indonesia
speakers	20,000
date	1990
ref	e18
familycolor	Austronesian
fam2	Malayo-Polynesian
fam3	Celebic
fam4	Kaili–Pamona
fam5	Southern
iso3	ppk
glotto	umaa1242
glottorefname	Uma
notice	IPA
::

|name = Uma |nativename = Pipikoro |region = Sulawesi |state = Indonesia |speakers = 20,000 |date = 1990 |ref = e18 |familycolor = Austronesian |fam2 = Malayo-Polynesian |fam3 = Celebic |fam4 = Kaili–Pamona |fam5 = Southern |iso3 = ppk |glotto = umaa1242 |glottorefname = Uma |notice = IPA

Uma (known natively as Pipikoro) is an Austronesian language spoken in Central and South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Phonology

Consonants

::data[format=table title="Consonant inventory"] | Bilabial | Alveolar | Palato- (alveolar) | Retroflex | Velar | Glottal | Nasal | Plosive/ Affricate | voiceless | voiced | prenasalized | Fricative | Trill | Approximant | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | () | | | | | | | | | | | ::

Notes:

• acts as a nasal in some respects and causes the nasalization of non-front vowels (e.g., [hampulu'] 'ten'→ with nasal vowels).
• is realized as retroflex contiguous to non-front vowels.
• is neutralized word-initially, and is the only consonant that can occur in the coda or word-finally.
• In the Lincio variety of Central Uma, is pronounced .
• The semivowel is rare, found mainly in loan words.
• The affricate /tʃ/ is found only following /n/, i.e., in the prenasalized stop /ⁿtʃ/.

Orthographic notes:

• is 'w'
• is 'ny'
• is 'ng'
• is 'y'
• is 'j'
• is 'c'
• is an apostrophe or simply 'ʔ'

Vowels

::data[format=table title="caption | '''Vowel inventory'''"]

Front	Central	Back	Close	Close-Mid	Open
::

Pronouns

::data[format=table title="'''Pronominals'''"] | | | Free | ABS | ERG | GEN | | 1P (SG) | | 1P (PL.ex) | | 1P (PL.in) | | 2P (SG) | | 2P (PL) | | 3P (SG) | | 3P (PL) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | akuʔ | | -a | | ku- | | -ku | | | | | | | kaiʔ | | -kai | | ki- | | -kai | | | | | | | kitaʔ | | -ta | | ta- | | -ta | | | | | | | iko | | -ko | | nu- | | -nu | | | | | | | koiʔ | | -koi | | ni- | | -ni | | | | | | | hiʔa | | -i | | na- | | -na | | | | | | | hiraʔ | | -ra | | ra- | | -ra | | | | | | ::

Notes:

• ABS refers to pronominals in the absolutive case, while ERG refers to the ergative and GEN to the genitive.
• 1P means 'first person,' 2P means 'second person,' and 3P means 'third person.'
• (SG) means 'singular' and (PL) means 'plural.' (PL.ex) means 'plural exclusive' and (PL.in) means 'plural inclusive.'
• [∅-] means that ∅ is a proclitic.
• [-∅] means that ∅ is an enclitic.
• In the Tobaku, Tolee', and Winatu dialects, the possessives [-nu] and [-ni] are [-mu] and [-mi] respectively.
• In the Tolee' and Winatu dialects, the absolutives [-kai] and [-koi] are [-kami] and [-komi] respectively. The free forms [kaiʔ] and [koiʔ] are [kamiʔ] and [komiʔ] respectively.

Numerals

The cardinal numbers from 1 to 10 are:

1. isaʔ
2. dua
3. tolu
4. opoʔ
5. lima
6. ono
7. pitu
8. walu
9. sio
10. hampuluʔ

Classification of Uma varieties

Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013) recognizes seven dialects of Uma.

• Bana
• Benggaulu (= Bingkolu)
• Kantewu (= Central Uma)
• Aria (= Southern Uma)
• Tobaku (= Ompa, Dompa, Western Uma)
• Tolee' (= Eastern Uma)
• Winatu (= Northern Uma)

Martens (2014) recognized six major dialects of Uma, noting that the Tori'untu dialect is nearly extinct due to the encroachment of the Kantewu dialect and non-Uma languages.

• Kantewu (= Central)
• Southern
• Tolee'
• Tobaku
• Winatu
• Tori'untu

Martens also identifies two dialects closely related to Uma spoken in the Pasangkayu Regency.

• Sarudu
• Benggaulu (= Bingkolu)

References

Bibliography

References

1. {{harvnb. Martens. 1988a
2. Martens, Michael P.. (2014). "Uma Dialect Word Lists". Sulawesi Language Alliance.

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