Languages of Northwestern Papua – SIL
Bengkulu, Jubi – Two Papuan indigenous languages, Saponi and Mapia, are among 14 Indonesian tongues that have gone extinct.
“There are 14 local languages that have already gone extinct because their speakers no longer exist,” said Aziz Qahar Mudzakkar, the Commission III member of Regional Representative Council of the House of Representative at Bengkulu Provincial Language Office in Kota Bengkulu on Tuesday (16/6/2015).
Others include 10 local languages of Maluku Province: Hoti, Hukumina, Hulung, Serua, Te’un, Palumata, Loun, Moksela, Naka’eka and Nila languages; and two local languages of North Maluku Province: Ternateno and Ibu languages.
According to UNESCO, there are more than 740 local languages in the Indonesian archipelago. However, 136 languages are in category of endangered. Aziz said there are 13 languages that are still being used by more than one million people: Acehnese, Batak, Malay, Minangkabau, Rejau, Lampung, Sunda, Java, Madura, Bali, Sasak, Makassar and Bugis.
The visit was to collect some data and documents concerning to the preparation of draft Law on Regional Language that would be endorsed by the Indonesian House of Representative as part of national legislation program in 2016. (*/rom)
