Native to Indonesia Native speakers 25,000 (1997) ISO 639-3 aol | Region Alor Archipelago Writing system Latin | |
Language family Austronesian
Malayo-Polynesian (MP)
Nuclear MP
(Central–Eastern MP)
Flores–Lembata
Lamaholot
Alorese–Lamalera
Alorese | ||
Alorese (Bahasa Alor) is an Austronesian language spoken on Alor and the neighboring islands of the Alor archipelago in eastern Indonesia. It is not to be confused with non-Austronesian (Papuan) languages of the Alor–Pantar family which are also spoken in this region. It is also distinct from Alor Malay, a Malay variety which is currently supplanting Alorese as the language of wider communication in the region. Alorese is the native language of several immigrant communities located along the coast of the Alor archipelago, especially at Alor Kecil on Alor and at Baranusa and Marica on Pantar. It has also been used extensively as a trade language in the region.
Primary linguistic research is severely lacking:
"The scope of this language and its internal variation are unknown. The speakers of Alor are oriented towards Lembata and Adonara, and are bilingual in Lamaholot as a language of wider communication. Alor is not mutually intelligible with Adonara or languages of Lembata. Because of their bilingualism, 'Alor' was formerly listed in much literature as a 'dialect' of Lamaholot." (Grimes et al 1997:57)
Support appears in Klamer & Klamer (2010), who found that Alorese shares only half its basic vocabulary with Lamaholot.