Sawai

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A language of Indonesia

ISO 639-3
szw
Alternate Names
Weda, Weda-Sawai, Were
User Population

12,000 (2000 SIL), increasing. Few monolinguals.

Location

North Maluku province, Halmahera Tengah and Halmahera Selatan regencies, Gane Timur and Weda districts;13 villages. Halmahera island, southeast peninsula, Weda bay, both coasts: 13 villages.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, South Halmahera-West New Guinea, South Halmahera, Southeast
Dialects

Weda, Sawai, Kobe, Faya-Mafa, Messa-Dote. Lexical similarity: 64% with North Nuaulu [nni].

Language Use

Some domains, local commerce. Some young people, all adults. Youth are taught Indonesian [ind] first; then learn to understand Sawai. Positive attitudes. Also use Buli [bzq]. Also use Gane [gzn]. Also use Indonesian [ind]. Also use Maba [mqa]. Also use North Moluccan Malay [max]. Also use Patani [ptn]. Also use Ternate [tft]. Also use Tidore [tvo]. Also use Tobelo [tlb].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 25%–50%. 5,000 can read it, 1,000 can write it. Bible portions: 1994–2005.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Sawai
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Different from Saleman [sau]. Muslim, Christian.