| Wolio | |
|---|---|
| Buton | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Sulawesi |
Native speakers | 65,000 (2004)[1] |
| Buri Wolio (Arabic script) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | wlo |
| Glottolog | woli1241 |
| 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. | |
Wolio is anAustronesian language spoken in and aroundBaubau onButon Island,Southeast Sulawesi,Indonesia. It belongs to theWotu–Wolio branch of theCelebic subgroup.[2][3] Also known asButon, it is a trade language and the former court language of the Sultan at Baubau. Today it is an official regional language; street signs are written in theBuri Wolio alphabet, based on the Arabic script.
Wolio has lexical borrowings from Malay, Arabic, and Dutch.[4] Local languages of eastern Indonesia, such asBugis,Makasar, andTernate, have also been influential.[5] The name "Buton", which also refers generically to various ethnic and linguistic groups of the Buton area,[6] is said to be of Ternatese origin (butu, ‘market; marketplace’).[7][8]
The five vowels are/ieaou/. The consonant system is characterized by the presence ofprenasalized stops, which are treated as a single sound in Wolio.[9]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| Plosive | voiceless | plain | p | t | c | k | ʔ |
| prenasalized | ᵐp | ⁿt | ᶮc | ᵑk | |||
| voiced | plain | b | d | ɟ | g | ||
| prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑg | |||
| implosive | ɓ | ɗ | |||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | h | |||
| voiced | v | ||||||
| Trill | r | ||||||
| Lateral | l | ||||||
/b,d,f/ are found inloans, mostly fromArabic.[10]
Stress is on the penultimate syllable, and onlyopen syllables are allowed.[11]
Wolio personal pronouns have one independent form, and three bound forms.[12]
| independent | actor | object | possessive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.sg. | iaku | ku- | -aku | -ngku |
| 1.pl. incl. | ingkita | ta- | -kita | -ta |
| 1.pl. excl. | ingkami | ta- | -kami | -mami |
| 2.sg. | ingkoo | u- | -ko | -mu |
| 2.pl. | ingkomiu | u- | -komiu | -miu |
| 3. | incia | a- | -a/-ia | -na |
Number is not distinguished in third person. Optionally, plural number can be expressed by means of the plural-markermanga:manga incia 'they'.[13]
The island was their "market" orbutu in Ternate language. Thus the island became known as Buton.
Because of its strategic geographical position, Buton served as a major stopping place for military and merchant vessels, whence it got the name of "market" after the Ternate wordbutu for marketplace.
