Mentawai language

The Mentawai language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Mentawai people of the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Dialects
According to Ethnologue, Mentawai dialects include: Silabu, Sipura – Simalegi, Sakalagan, Saumanganja – North Siberut, South Siberut – Taikaku – Pagai.

Syamsir Arifin, et al. (1992) list twelve dialects of Mentawai:


 * Mentawai
 * South Siberut
 * Madobat
 * Salappa
 * Ulubaga
 * Sipora
 * Bariulou
 * Bosua
 * Sioban
 * North Pagai
 * Pasapuat
 * Silabu
 * Saumanganya
 * South Pagai
 * Boriai
 * Bulasat
 * Sikakap

Dialects in Siberut Island are:
 * Sikapone
 * Togiiite
 * Pokai
 * Simajegi
 * Simatalu
 * Paipajet
 * Sakuddei
 * Sagulubbe
 * Sirileleu
 * Sikabaluan
 * Sempungan
 * Saibi & Sarabua
 * Silaoinan
 * Sarareiket
 * Sabirut

Consonants

 * Allophones of /b ɡ k/ can be heard as [β ɣ ʔ]. [t͡ɕ] is a distinct sound in Mentawai, but not given phoneme status by Syamsir et al. because of the lack of minimal contrasts.
 * The semivowels /w j/ only appear in final position.