Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 7, 2026

Mainstream Kenyah language

Mainstream Kenyah, also known as Usun Apau and Bakung, is a Kenyah dialect cluster of North Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia. Dialects fall into four clusters:Lepo’ Tau, Lepo’ Bem, Uma’ Jalan, Uma’ Tukung Lepo’ Ke, Lepo’ Kuda Lepo’ Maut, Lepo’ Ndang, Badeng (Madang) Bakung, Lepo’ Tepu’.

Last revised
Jun 7, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
192 w
Citations
4
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Kenyah
Lepo’
Bakung
Native toIndonesia, Malaysia
RegionBorneo
EthnicityKenyah
Native speakers
50,000 (2007–2013)1
Language codes
ISO 639-3xkl
Glottologmain1275

Mainstream Kenyah, also known as Usun Apau and Bakung, is a Kenyah dialect cluster of North Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia. Dialects fall into four clusters:

  • Lepo’ Tau, Lepo’ Bem, Uma’ Jalan, Uma’ Tukung2
  • Lepo’ Ke, Lepo’ Kuda
  • Lepo’ Maut, Lepo’ Ndang, Badeng (Madang)3
  • Bakung, Lepo’ Tepu’ (Lepo Teppu’).

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate 		voiceless p t̪ t͡ʃ k ʔ
voiced b d d͡ʒ g
Fricative s
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Trill r
Approximant w l j
  • Sounds /p, t̪/ can also occur as geminated [pː,  t̪ː] or as unreleased in word-final [p̚, t̪̚].

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid ɛ ə ɔ
Open a
  • /i/ can also occur as lax [ɪ].
  • Sounds /a, u/ can also be heard as long [aː, uː].4
References

References

  1. Kenyah at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. also Lepo Jengan, Lepo Aga, Uma Ake, Lepo Ga, Lepo La’ang, Sambup, and Likan
  3. also Lepo Jamok
  4. Asih, Yuni Utami (2017). Inventory of Kenyah Lepo Tau Segmental Sounds.
External links