Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Besoa
CLASSIFICATION		Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Celebic, Kaili-Pamona
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3; Glottolog
LANGUAGE CODE		bep; beso1237
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Personal communication re: Behoa (Besoa)” . Susan Shore (2021)

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
6,000 speakers, 5,000 of whom live in the language area
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
12,000

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

Percentage of people by age using Behoa: 70-100yo 100%, 50-69yo 100%, 30-49yo 100%, 20-29yo, 75% (most have receptive knowledge), 10-19yo 25% (many understand but reply in Indonesian), 0-9yo 10%.
Children receive some formal education in Behoa at school, but few parents teach it to their children.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

Twenty years ago, Behoa was not used in public; now, adults speak it among themselves in public. Behoa became more proud of their language once foreigner linguists started learning it. However, few pass it to their children who they think will do better using the national language. Occasionally some teenagers want to learn Behoa, but this is difficult if they belong to an inter-ethnic family. A monthly church service is hosted in Behoa, where people are also encouraged to wear traditional clothing. It is also used for traditional wedding ceremonies, where cultural leaders gather.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Indonesian

More on Orthography

Some people use Behoa on Facebook Messenger. A website focused on Behoa is active.

PLACES: Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
8,000
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Data for the number of native speakers comes from SIL (2000).

PLACES: Indonesia;

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
8,000
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
3,000
Native speakers worldwide

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
More on Orthography: Some literacy in it.

PLACES: Indonesia: Sulawesi Province

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Spoken somewhat to the east of the centre of the bulk of Sulawesi, near Watutau, to the northwest of Lake Poso.

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
3,000
Native speakers worldwide

		3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing	Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		3,000	1000-9999					Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)							-1.7163,120.4211
	December		2021	Personal communication re: Behoa (Besoa)			Email correspondence					Susan Shore			12,000	6,000 speakers, 5,000 of whom live in the language area	1000-9999		Indonesian	Twenty years ago, Behoa was not used in public; now, adults speak it among themselves in public. Behoa became more proud of their language once foreigner linguists started learning it. However, few pass it to their children who they think will do better using the national language. Occasionally some teenagers want to learn Behoa, but this is difficult if they belong to an inter-ethnic family. A monthly church service is hosted in Behoa, where people are also encouraged to wear traditional clothing. It is also used for traditional wedding ceremonies, where cultural leaders gather.		Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	12	Percentage of people by age using Behoa: 70-100yo 100%, 50-69yo 100%, 30-49yo 100%, 20-29yo, 75% (most have receptive knowledge), 10-19yo 25% (many understand but reply in Indonesian), 0-9yo 10%. Children receive some formal education in Behoa at school, but few parents teach it to their children.	13	13	Sulawesi Province, Indonesia		-1.7163,120.4211
070071197X	3	1	2007	Australia and the Pacific	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	424-557			Routledge	Abingdon		Stephen A Wurm	Wurm, Stephen A. 2007. Australia and the Pacific. In Christopher Moseley, Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, 1 edn., 424-557. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 070071197X	ll_pub		3,000	1000-9999		Indonesian		Almost all	Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	12			13	Indonesia: Sulawesi Province	Spoken somewhat to the east of the centre of the bulk of Sulawesi, near Watutau, to the northwest of Lake Poso.
				World Oral Literature Project							http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			8,000	1000-9999					Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
		16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)				M. Paul Lewis	SIL International	Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub		8,000	1000-9999	Data for the number of native speakers comes from SIL (2000).				Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Indonesia;

Behoa

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

6,000 speakers, 5,000 of whom live in the language area

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8,000

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,000

Discussion

Behoa

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

6,000 speakers, 5,000 of whom live in the language area

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8,000

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,000

Discussion

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