Gorontalo language

The Gorontalo language (also called Hulontalo) is a language spoken in Gorontalo Province, Sulawesi, Indonesia by the Gorontalo people. With around one million speakers (2000 census), it is a major language of northern Sulawesi.

Considerable lexical influence comes from Malay, Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch, and the North Halmahera languages. The Gorontalo region used to be controlled by the Sultanate of Ternate. Manado Malay and Indonesian are also spoken in the area. Despite its relatively large number of speakers, Gorontalo is under much pressure from Malay varieties, especially in urban settings.

Sizable Gorontalo communities can be found in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, as well as Jakarta.

The Gorontalo language belongs to the Gorontalic language group, which is part of the Gorontalo-Mongondow languages family, a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family, which in turn is a branch of the Austronesian language family.

Languages that are related to Gorontalo include Suwawa, Bolango, Buol, Bintauna, Kaidipang, and Lolak.

Musa Kasim et al. (1981) give five main dialects of Gorontalo: east Gorontalo, Limboto, Gorontolo City, west Gorontalo, and Tilamuta.

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), and bongo (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:

• bolajar (belajar - to study)
• posawat (pesawat - airplane)
• moncuci (mencuci - to wash)
• mongapa (mengapa - why)

This influence on Indonesian pronunciation is considered a distinctive characteristic of Gorontalo Malay.

Gorontalo is characterized by several highly unusual sound changes, including PMP *s → Gorontalo t; *n → l; *k → ʔ; *mb, *nd → m, n; *bu → hu. Also, there are also vowel changes, such as *a turning into o (/ *b_) or e (/ {*d, *g}_); prosthesis of original initial vowels with w- or y- (before *i); and epenthesis of final consonants with -o (*anak → wala'o "child").

Consonant sequences include NC (homorganic nasal–plosive), where C may be /b d t d̠ ɟ ɡ k/. Elsewhere, /b d/ are relatively rare and only occur before high 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.

Gorontalo words are stressed on the penultimate syllable, regardless of structure: momikiirangi "think", momikiirangipo "think before (doing something)".

One of the oldest manuscripts in the Gorontalo language that has been discovered is titled Utiya tilingolowa lo pilu lo tau lota ohu-uwo lo pilu boito. Below the title of this book is written poliama 1870, which indicates the year the manuscript was written. The term poliama refers to the ancient astronomical knowledge of the Gorontalo 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 by Wilhelm Joest, a world traveler and ethnographer from Germany. The book is titled Das 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:

1. Tanggomo: Narrative poetry not bound by lines, containing information about real events or true folklore.
2. Tuja'i: Rhyming poetry that contains praises, religious advice, and customary wisdom.
3. Leningo: Poetry consisting of proverbs, wise words, or expressions that can serve as life guidance.
4. Lumadu: Verse consisting of one or two sentences that convey principles of life and the character of the Gorontalo people.
5. Taleningo: Poetry that provides advice about death, birth, and preparation for the afterlife.
6. Tinilo: Gorontalo pantun that contains praises, entertainment, prayers, history, and calls for good deeds.

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.

Note: The words Ti and Te are forms of address commonly used by the Gorontalo people when referring to or addressing someone.

• The word Ti is added when addressing a woman or an older, respected person (as a sign of respect and honor).
• The word Te is added when addressing a man or a younger male and is also used for male peers.

There are several key figures who have played a role in the preservation of the Gorontalo language, including:

Manuli

He is a performer of tanggomo, a form of oral literature in the Gorontalo language. Manuli is known for his exceptional ability to memorize thousands of tanggomo verses and to spontaneously create new verses based on recent events or occurrences he has witnessed. The tanggomo 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 his tanggomo verses were recorded and archived as digital records by Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) Gorontalo.

Mansoer Pateda

He was a lecturer at the State University of Gorontalo (UNG). Pateda authored many books, the most well-known of which are the Gorontalo-Indonesian Dictionary and the Indonesian-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 title Taa Lopoolamahe Popoli, meaning 'The Best Son and Cultural Preserver of Gorontalo'.

Jusuf Sjarif Badudu

He was an expert in the Indonesian language and a professor of linguistics at Padjadjaran University. He became widely known to the public as the host of the Pembinaan Bahasa Indonesia program on TVRI 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 title Taa O Ilomata To Wulito.