 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Indonesian. (April 2020)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| Gorontalo | |
|---|---|
| Bahasa Hulontalo | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Gorontalo North Sulawesi Central Sulawesi |
| Ethnicity | Gorontalo andPolahi |
Native speakers | (1 million cited 2000 census)[1] |
| Latin HistoricallyJawi | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | gor |
| ISO 639-3 | gor |
| Glottolog | goro1259 |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
TheGorontalo language (also calledHulontalo) is a language spoken inGorontalo Province,Sulawesi, Indonesia by theGorontalo people andPolahi people.[2] With around one million speakers (2000 census), it is a major language of northern Sulawesi.[3]
Considerable lexical influence comes fromMalay,Arabic,Portuguese,Dutch,[4] and theNorth Halmahera languages.[4][5] The Gorontalo region used to be controlled by theSultanate of Ternate.[4]Manado Malay andIndonesian are also spoken in the area.[4][6] Despite its relatively large number of speakers, Gorontalo is under much pressure from Malay varieties, especially in urban settings.[3]
Sizable Gorontalo communities can be found inManado, the capital ofNorth Sulawesi, as well asJakarta.[4]
The Gorontalo language belongs to the Gorontalic language group, which is part of theGorontalo-Mongondow languages family, a branch of theMalayo-Polynesian language family, which in turn is a branch of the Austronesian language family.
Languages that are related to Gorontalo includeSuwawa,Bolango,Buol,Bintauna,Kaidipang, andLolak.
Musa Kasim et al. (1981) give five main dialects of Gorontalo: east Gorontalo,Limboto,Gorontolo City, west Gorontalo, andTilamuta.
One of the most prominent features of the Gorontalo language is the use of a vowel (a, i, u, e, o) at the end of every word. Examples include:mela (red),huyi (night),tuluhu (sleep),rasipede (bicycle), andbongo (coconut).
Additionally, the influence of the Gorontalo language is strongly evident in the pronunciation of words in Indonesian. In some verbs and nouns in Indonesian that contain the letter"E", the pronunciation automatically shifts to"O" in Gorontalo Malay. Examples include:
This influence on Indonesian pronunciation is considered a distinctive characteristic ofGorontalo Malay.
Gorontalo is characterized by several highly unusual sound changes, includingPMP*s → Gorontalot;*n →l;*k →ʔ;*mb,*nd →m,n;*bu →hu. Also, there are also vowel changes, such as*a turning intoo (/*b_) ore (/ {*d,*g}_); prosthesis of original initial vowels withw- ory- (before*i); and epenthesis of final consonants with-o (*anak →wala'o "child").[7]
| labial | alveolar | palatal | velar | glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| plosive | voiceless | p | t | d̠ | c | k | ʔ |
| voiced | b | d | ɟ | ɡ | |||
| implosive | ɓ | ɗ | |||||
| sonorant | plain | w | r | j | h | ||
| lateral | l | ||||||
Consonant sequences include NC (homorganic nasal–plosive), where C may be/bdtd̠ɟɡk/. Elsewhere,/bd/ are relatively rare and only occur beforehigh vowels./d̠/, written⟨ḓ⟩ in linguistic study materials, but not distinguished from⟨d⟩ elsewhere, is a laminal post-alveolar coronal stop that is indeterminate as to voicing. The phonemic status of[ʔ] is unclear; if[VʔV] is interpreted as vowel sequences/VV/, then this contrasts with long vowels (where the two V's are the same) and vowel sequences separated by linking glides (where the two V's are different).
Gorontalo has five vowels.[8]
| front | central | back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| high | i | u | |
| mid | e | o | |
| low | a |
Gorontalo words are stressed on the penultimate syllable, regardless of structure:momikiirangi "think",momikiirangipo "think before (doing something)".[8]
One of the oldest manuscripts in the Gorontalo language that has been discovered is titledUtiya tilingolowa lo pilu lo tau lota ohu-uwo lo pilu boito. Below the title of this book is writtenpoliama 1870, which indicates the year the manuscript was written. The termpoliama refers to the ancient astronomical knowledge of theGorontalo people, based on the movements of celestial bodies, which was practiced in activities such as farming, building a new house, moving, marriage, and more. This manuscript was written by Johan Gerhard Frederich Riedel, the eldest son of the Dutch missionary J.F. Riedel.
Another relatively old book about the Gorontalo language was written byWilhelm Joest, a world traveler and ethnographer from Germany. The book is titledDas Holontalo: Glossar und grammatische Skizze; ein Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Sprachen von Celebes, printed in Berlin in 1883.
The Gorontalo people have long been familiar with various literary works, particularly oral literature that has been passed down from generation to generation. Some forms of oral literature that can still be found in the daily life of the Gorontalo community are:
The biggest challenge for these various forms of oral literature in Gorontalo is empowering the younger generation to preserve the literary and cultural heritage of their ancestors, which is increasingly being eroded by the passage of time. One of the greatest difficulties in efforts to preserve the various forms of Gorontalo oral literature is the limited cadre of oral literature practitioners, as it is only spoken and memorized by performers, cultural figures, or local elders. This has led to the scarcity of written texts documenting Gorontalo oral literature.
The only and very limited references related to Gorontalo oral literature can be traced back to the arrival of Islamic preachers and Dutch colonizers in Gorontalo, who introduced various forms of written works as mediums of writing and communication for the Gorontalo people.
| Gorontalo language | English |
|---|---|
| Ti Bapu | grandfather |
| Ti Nene | grandmother |
| Tiyamo, Ti Papa, Ti Sebe | father |
| Tilo, Ti Mama, Ti Ajus | mother |
| Ti Om | uncle |
| Ti Tante | aunt |
| Ti Kaka | older brother |
| Ti Tata | older sister |
| Te Uti, Te Nunu | younger brother |
| Ti No'u, Ti Pi'i | younger sister |
Note: The wordsTi andTe are forms of address commonly used by the Gorontalo people when referring to or addressing someone.
| Gorontalo language | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal | Ordinal | Cardinal | Ordinal |
| Tuwawu | Oyinta | one | first |
| Duluwo | Oluwo | two | second |
| Totolu | Otulu | three | third |
| Wopatu | Opato | four | fourth |
| Limo | Olimo | five | fifth |
| Wolomo | Olomo | six | sixth |
| Pitu | Opitu | seven | seventh |
| Walu | Owalu | eight | eighth |
| Tiyo | Otiyo | nine | ninth |
| Mopulu | Opulu | ten | tenth |
There are several key figures who have played a role in the preservation of the Gorontalo language, including:
Manuli
He is a performer oftanggomo, a form of oral literature in the Gorontalo language. Manuli is known for his exceptional ability to memorize thousands oftanggomo verses and to spontaneously create new verses based on recent events or occurrences he has witnessed. Thetanggomo verses he composed were often performed in traditional markets in Gorontalo while he was selling his goods, attracting crowds and boosting his sales. Many of histanggomo verses were recorded and archived as digital records byRadio Republik Indonesia (RRI) Gorontalo.
He was a lecturer at theState University of Gorontalo (UNG). Pateda authored many books, the most well-known of which are theGorontalo-Indonesian Dictionary and theIndonesian-Gorontalo Dictionary. He was also involved in the translation of the Quran into the Gorontalo language, a project undertaken by a team. For his contributions, he was honored with the customary titleTaa Lopoolamahe Popoli, meaning 'The Best Son and Cultural Preserver of Gorontalo'.
Jusuf Sjarif Badudu[11]
He was an expert in the Indonesian language and a professor of linguistics atPadjadjaran University. He became widely known to the public as the host of thePembinaan Bahasa Indonesia program onTVRI from 1974 to 1979. His dedication to the Gorontalo language was evident in his book "Morfologi Bahasa Gorontalo". In recognition of his efforts, the Gorontalo Customary Council awarded him the titleTaa O Ilomata To Wulito.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
