View source for Sahu language

{{Short description|North Halmahera language spoken in Indonesia}}
{{Distinguish|text=the [[Saho language]]}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Sahu
| states = [[Indonesia]]
| region = [[Halmahera]]
| speakers = 7,500
| date = 1987
| ref = e25
| familycolor = Papuan
| fam1 = [[West Papuan languages|West Papuan]]?
| fam2=[[North Halmahera languages|North Halmahera]]
| fam3 = Sahu
| dia1 = Waioli
| dia2 = Pa'disua
| dia3 = Gamkonora
| dia4 = Tala'i
| dia5 = Ibu †
| lc1 = saj
| ld1 = Sahu
| lc2 = ibu
| ld2 = Ibu
| glotto = sahu1245
| glottoname = Sahu
| glotto2 = ibuu1240
| glottoname2 = Ibu
| ELP=1789
| ELPname=Ibu
}}

'''Sahu''' (Sa’u, Sahu’u, Sau) is a [[North Halmahera languages|North Halmahera]] language. Use is vigorous; dialects are Pa’disua (Palisua), Tala’i, [[Waioli language|Waioli]], and [[Gamkonora language|Gamkonora]]. A fifth dialect, Ibu, used to be spoken near the mouth of the Ibu River.<ref>Visser, L. E. and C.L. Voorhoeve. 1987. Sahu-Indonesian-English Dictionary and Sahu Grammar Sketch. Dordrecht: Foris.</ref>

Sahu has many [[Ternate language|Ternate]] loanwords, a historical legacy of the dominance of the [[Ternate Sultanate]] in the [[Moluccas]].<ref name="Holton-Birds-Head">{{cite book |last1=Holton |first1=Gary |last2=Klamer |first2=Marian |editor1-last=Palmer |editor1-first=Bill |date=2018 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide |chapter=The Papuan languages of East Nusantara and the Bird’s Head |series= The World of Linguistics |volume=4 |location=Berlin |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |pages=569–640 |isbn=978-3-11-028642-7}}</ref>

==Phonology<ref>Visser, L. E. and C.L. Voorhoeve. 1987. Sahu-Indonesian-English Dictionary and Sahu Grammar Sketch. Dordrecht: Foris.</ref>==
Sahu, like other North Halmahera languages, is not a [[tonal language]].

===Consonants===
{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|-
|+Sahu consonant phonemes
! colspan=2| 
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Palato-alveolar consonant|Palato-<br>alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan=2| [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPAlink|m}}
| {{IPAlink|n}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ɲ}}
| {{IPAlink|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan=3| [[Plosive]]/<br>[[Affricate]]
! <small>[[voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|p}}
| {{IPAlink|t}}
| {{IPAlink|tʃ}}
|
| {{IPAlink|k}}
| {{IPAlink|ʔ}}
|-
! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|b}}
| {{IPAlink|d}}
| {{IPAlink|dʒ}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ɡ}}
| 
|-
! <small>[[Implosive consonant|implosive]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|ɓ}}
| {{IPAlink|ɗ}}
| {{IPAlink|ʄ}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ɠ}}
| 
|-
! colspan=2| [[Fricative]]
| {{IPAlink|f}}
| {{IPAlink|s}}
|
| 
| 
| 
|-
! rowspan=2| [[Approximant]]
! <small>[[central consonant|central]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|w}}
| 
|
| {{IPAlink|j}}
| 
| {{IPAlink|h}}
|-
! <smalL>[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]</small>
| 
| {{IPAlink|l}}
|
|
|
| 
|-
! colspan=2| [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
| {{IPAlink|r}}
|
|
|
|
|}

When preceding /a/, /o/, and /u/, the consonants /d/, /ɗ/, and /l/ become retroflex ({{IPAslink|ɖ}}, {{IPAslink|ᶑ}}, and {{IPAslink|ɭ}}, respectively). The trill /r/ [[free variation|alternates freely]] with {{IPAslink|ɾ}}, but, according to Visser and Voorhoeve, {{IPAslink|r}} is the more usual allophone. The glottal /h/ may be realized as {{IPAslink|χ}} by educated speakers for certain words deriving from [[Arabic language|Arabic]].

=== Vowels ===

{|class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|-
|+Sahu vowel phonemes
! colspan=2| 
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! colspan=2| [[High vowel|High]]
| {{IPAlink|i}}
|
| {{IPAlink|u}}
|-
! colspan=2| [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPAlink|e}}
| {{IPAlink|ə}}
| {{IPAlink|o}}
|-
! colspan=2| [[Low vowel|Low]]
|
| {{IPAlink|a}}
|
|}

The phoneme /ə/ is only found in loans (primarily from Indonesian).

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{West Papuan languages}}
{{Languages of Indonesia}}

[[Category:Languages of Indonesia]]

[[Category:North Halmahera languages]]

{{Papuan-lang-stub}}
{{Indonesia-stub}}