Wolio language

Wolio is an Austronesian language spoken in and around Baubau on Buton Island, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs to the Wotu–Wolio branch of the Celebic subgroup.^[2][3] Also known as Buton, 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 the Buri Wolio alphabet, based on the Arabic script.

Phonology

The five vowels are /i e a o u/. The consonant system is characterized by the presence of prenasalized stops, which are treated as a single sound in Wolio.^[4]

/b, d, f/ are found in loans, mostly from Arabic.^[5]

Stress is on the penultimate syllable, and only open syllables are allowed.^[6]

Grammar

Wolio personal pronouns have one independent form, and three bound forms.^[7]

Number is not distinguished in third person. Optionally, plural number can be expressed by means of the plural-marker manga: manga incia 'they'.^[8]

See also

• Cia-Cia language
• List of loan words in Indonesian

References

Bibliography

• Anceaux, Johannes Cornelis (1988). The Wolio Language. Leiden: Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004286320.
• Donohue, Mark (2004). "The pretenders to the Muna-Buton group". In Bowden, J.; Himmelmann, N. (eds.). Papers in Austronesian subgrouping and dialectology. Pacific Linguistics 563. Canberra: Australian National University. pp. 21–36. doi:10.15144/PL-563.21. hdl:1885/146183.
• Mead, David (2003). "Evidence for a Celebic supergroup". In Lynch, John (ed.). Issues in Austronesian historical phonology. Pacific Linguistics 550. Canberra: Australian National University. pp. 115–141. doi:10.15144/PL-550.115. hdl:1885/146173.

Further reading

• Wolio - Indonesian Dictionary https://repositori.kemdikbud.go.id/2958/1/kamus%20wolio%20indonesia%20%20%20%20%20205.pdf (Archive)
• Mead, David; Smith, Joanna. "The voice systems of Wotu, Barang-barang and Wolio: Synchronic and diachronic perspectives". In Malcolm D. Ross; I Wayan Arka (eds.). Language Change in Austronesian languages: papers from 12-ICAL, Volume 3. Asia-Pacific linguistics 018 / Studies on Austronesian languages 004. pp. 51–78. hdl:1885/13386.
• van den Berg, René (2008). "Notes on the historical phonology and classification of Wolio". In Yury A. Lander; Alexander K. Ogloblin (eds.). Language and Text in the Austronesian World: Studies in honor of Ülo Sirk. München: Lincom. pp. 89–113.