Pallesen (1985:18) classifies the Sama–Bajaw languages as follows. •
Sama-Bajaw •
Abaknon •
Yakan: Northern Yakan, Southern Yakan • Sibuguey (
Sama Batuan) • Sulu-Borneo •
Western Sulu: Sama Pangutaran, Sama Ubian • Inner Sulu •
Northern Sulu: Tagtabun Balangingiq, Tongquil Balangingiq, Linungan, Panigayan Balangingiq, Landang-Guaq, Mati, Sama Daongdong, Kawit Balangingiq, Karundung, Pilas •
Central Sulu: Sama Kaulungan, Sama Dilaut, Sama Kabingan, Sama Musuq, Sama Laminusa, Sama Balimbing, Sama Bannaran, Sama Bangaw-Bangaw, South Ubian •
Southern Sulu: Sama Tanduq-baas, Sama Simunul, Sama Pahut, Sama Sibutuq, Sama Sampulnaq •
Sama Lutangan,
Sama Sibukuq • Borneo Coast •
Jama Mapun •
Sabah Land Bajaw: Kota Belud Bajaw, Kawang Bajaw, Papar Bajaw, Banggi Bajaw, Putatan Bajaw •
Indonesian Bajaw: Sulamu, Kajoa, Roti, Jaya Bakti, Poso, Togian 1, Wallace, Togian 2, Minahasa The
Ethnologue divides Sinama into seven languages based on
mutual intelligibility. The seven Sinama languages are Northern Sinama, Central Sinama, Southern Sinama, Sinama Pangutaran from the island of
Pangutaran off of Jolo island, Mapun, Bajau West Coast of Sabah and Bajau Indonesia. Jama Mapun, a language from the island of
Mapun, formerly known as Cagayan de Sulu, is a related language and sometimes also referred to as Sinama. These classifications are rarely recognized by Sama themselves who instead classify their Sinama by the village or island it originates from. The emic classification of a Sama person's language e.g. Silumpak, Laminusa, Tabawan generally form the different dialects of the seven Sinama or Bajau languages. Together, West Coast Bajau, Indonesian Bajau, and Mapun comprise a
Borneo Coast Bajaw branch in
Ethnologue.
Dialects The following is a list of Sama-Bajaw dialects. Locations and demographics are from Palleson (1985) and
Ethnologue (individual languages with separately assigned ISO codes highlighted in
bold). •
West Coast Bajau •
Kota Belud:
Kota Belud, 60 km north of
Kota Kinabalu •
Putatan •
Papar:
Papar, 50 km south of
Kota Kinabalu •
Banggi:
Banggi Island, north of
Kudat in the north of
Sabah •
Sandakan •
Pitas •
Kawang:
Kawang, 40 km south of
Kota Kinabalu •
Indonesian Bajau •
Jampea •
Same •
Matalaang •
Sulamu: Sulamu,
Kupang Bay, southern
Timor. 400 speakers. •
Kajoa:
Kajoa Island, 80 km south of
Ternate off the west coast of
Halmahera •
Roti:
Roti Island, southwest of Timor. Fewer than 200 speakers. •
Jaya Bakti: Jaya Bakti,
Banggai Regency, central
Sulawesi. 3,000 speakers. •
Poso: Polande,
Poso Regency, on the southeast coast of the Gulf of Poso, central Sulawesi •
Togian 1: Pulaw Enaw, just off the south coast of
Togian Island,
Gulf of Tomini, Sulawesi •
Togian 2:
Togian Islands, Gulf of Tomini, Sulawesi •
Wallace: exact location unknown, probably central
Moluccas. 117 words collected by
Alfred Russel Wallace around 1860. •
Inabaknon:
Capul Island, off the coast of northwestern
Samar, central Philippines •
Yakan: eastern
Basilan Island, southern
Zamboanga Peninsula. 60,000 speakers. •
Northern Yakan: northern part of eastern
Basilan Island •
Southern Yakan: southern part of eastern
Basilan Island •
Pangutaran Sama (
Western Sulu Sama branch) •
Sama Pangutaran:
Pangutaran Island, 50 km northwest of
Jolo City. 12,000 speakers. Some live in Palawan •
Sama Ubihan: North Ubian Island, a few miles southwest of
Pangutaran. 2,000 speakers. Also called
aa ubian, aa sowang buna 'people of Buna channel'. •
Inner Sulu Sama branch •
Northern Sama (
Northern Sulu in Pallesen (1985)) •
Lutangan (Lutango): mainland of Mindanao opposite
Olutanga Island •
Sibuco-Vitali (Sibuku): inland area across the
Zamboanga Peninsula, 50 km north of
Zamboanga City. 11,000 speakers. Also called
sama bitali, sama nawan. •
Sibuguey (Batuan): Kulasihan River on the eastern side of
Sibuguey Bay between
Olutanga Island and the head of the bay •
Balangingi •
Daongdung (
Sama Daongdong): Daongdong Island, off the southeast coast of
Jolo Island •
Kabingaan •
Tagtabun Balangingi: Tagtabun Island, just east of
Zamboanga City. Regular population of 300 as of 1972. Also called ''bahasa bāngingi' (bāngingi, aa tagtabun)''. •
Tongquil Balangingi:
Tongquil Island in the Samales group, east of
Jolo Island. 8,000 speakers. Also called
sama tongkil. •
Linungan:
Linungan (Linongan) or Cocos Island, off the northeast coast of
Basilan Island •
Panigayan Balangingi: Malamawi Island, just off the west coast of
Basilan Island. Several hundred speakers. Also called
bahasa balangingi (sama bāngingi). •
Landang-Gua: Sakol or Landang Island, just east of
Zamboanga City, north of Tagtabun Island. Also called
aa landang-gua ('Landang-Gua people'). •
Mati:
Mati, Davao Oriental, just east of the San Agustin Peninsula •
Kawit Balangingi:
Kawit, 10 km west of
Zamboanga City •
Karundung: Karundung, on the southeast coast of
Jolo Island •
Pilas:
Pilas Islands, 15 km west of
Basilan Island •
Central Sama •
Sama Deya •
Sama Dilaut: throughout
Sulu, but especially in
Zamboanga City, in
Siasi, and in
Sitangkai, south of
Tawi-Tawi Island. 80,000 speakers in the Philippines. Also called
sama toongan 'genuine Sama';
sama pagūng 'floating Sama';
sama palau 'boat-dwelling Sama'. •
Sama Siasi •
Sama Laminusa: Laminusa Island, just off the north coast of
Siasi Island. 5,000 speakers. •
Sama Tabawan •
Sama Kaulungan: Kaulungan Island, just off the eastern end of
Basilan Island. At least 1,000 speakers. •
Sama Musu: south coast of
Siasi Island. 3,000 speakers. Intermarriage with Sama Dilaut. Also called
Sama Lipid (Littoral Sama) by the Sama Dilaut (Sea Sama). •
Sama Balimbing:
Balimbing, on the east coast of
Tawi-Tawi Island (listed as part of
Southern Sama in Ethnologue) •
Sama Bannaran: Bannaran Island,
Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi. •
Sama Bangaw-Bangaw: near
Sandakan on the northeast coast of
Sabah •
South Ubihan:
South Ubian Island, east of the northeast end of
Tawi-Tawi Island. Census figure of 27,000, including the population of
Tandubas. •
Southern Sama •
Sibutu (Sama Sibutu):
Sibutu Island, southwest of
Bongao Island. About 10,000 speakers. •
Simunul:
Simunul Island, south of
Bongao Island. 10,000 speakers. Also called
sama səddopan. •
Tandubas (Tandu-baas):
Tandubas Island, just of the northeastern point of
Tawi-Tawi Island. Census figure of 27,000, including the population of
Tandubas. Also called
aa tandu-bās 'people of Tandu-Bas',
aa ungus matata 'people of Ungus Matata'. The Sama of central Sulu call them
obian, ubian, sama sddopan 'Southern Sama'. •
Obian •
Bongao •
Sitangkai •
Languyan •
Sapa-Sapa •
Sama Pahut:
Bongao Island. About 1,000 speakers. •
Sama Sampulna:
Semporna, east
Sabah •
Berau,
East Kalimantan about 46,000 speakers. •
Mapun: 43,000 in the
Philippines; 15,000 Mapun people in
Sabah,
Malaysia (2011 SIL) •
Mapun is spoken on Cagayan de Sulu (
Mapun) island,
Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. • 20,000 in
Mapun island • 5,000 to 10,000 Mapun people in
Palawan •
Bajau West Coast Sabah •
Kota Belud •
Tuaran •
Kudat •
Bajau Indonesia •
Gorontalo Torosiaje, Popayato, Pohuwato ==Distribution==