The unique accent features of the stigmatized Greater Aceh subdialect in Sibreh, Aceh, Indonesia

This study investigated the unique features of the Sibreh subdialect from the Greater Aceh dialect spoken in Aceh, Indonesia. The data for this qualitative study were collected through elicitations from 70 native Acehnese speakers living in Sibreh, Aceh. The findings showed six unique features of the Sibreh subdialect that are different from the standard Acehnese and the Greater Aceh dialect itself. These features include (1) the production of uvular fricative /ʁ/, (2) the reduction of some consonants at word-initial positions, (3) the realization of alveolar nasal and velar nasal to replace some consonants at word-final positions, (4) the monophthongization of the diphthong /ai/, (5) variations in plosive consonants, and (6) realization of alveolar fricative /s/ as lamino alveo-dental stop /S/. These features are unpredictable and considered of other Acehnese dialects. The unique features of this subdialect have caused mockery from other Acehnese dialect speakers, and this has led the Sibreh speakers to feel insecure and self-conscious towards their subdialect. The paper argues that there is a lack of public literacy on their subdialect and concludes that cultivating the awareness of linguistic diversity is important to strengthen the kinship, positive attitude, loyalty, and pride of the Acehnese people towards their rich culture as a whole.