| Simeulue | |
|---|---|
| Simolol | |
| Long Bano | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Simeulue, Banyak Islands, Babi Island, Lasia Island (Aceh) |
| Ethnicity | Simeulue people Haloban people |
Native speakers | (undated figure of 30,000) |
| Dialects | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | smr |
| Glottolog | sime1241 |
Distribution of Simeulue language speakers in the Simeulue and surrounding islands (smr) | |
The Simeulue language (Long Bano) also known as Simolol is spoken by the Simeulue people of Simeulue island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. It's also spoken in surrounding islands such as Banyak Islands, this language is closely related to the Sigulai language which is also spoken on the island of Simeulue and also to the Nias language spoken on the neighboring island of Nias.
Simeulue is also called Mae o, which literally means 'Where are you going?'. Ethnologue also lists Long Bano, Simalur, Simeuloë, Simolol, and Simulul as alternate names.
Simeulue is spoken in five of eight districts (kecamatan) of Simeulue Regency and in the Banyak Islands, Aceh Singkil Regency. It includes at least three dialects.
Sikule and Leukon, related to Nias, is spoken in Salang, Alafan, and Simeulue Barat in northern Simeulue, while Jamee (also called Kamano), related to Minangkabau, is spoken in the capital city of Sinabang and has become the lingua franca of the island.
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t d | c ɟ | k g | ʔ |
| Fricative | s | h | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Approximant | w | r, l | j |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid-high | e | ə | o |
| Mid-low | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Low | a |
Additionally, the following diphthongs have been observed: /au/, /ai/, /ɔi/.