Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Helon, Semau, Kupang, Kupong
CLASSIFICATION		Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Timoric, Western Timoric
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3; Glottolog
LANGUAGE CODE		heg; helo1243
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Helong Darat (Funai) Helong Pulau (Semau) Helong Bolok
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (6)

Information from: “Preliminary report on Funai Helong” (1-27) . Owen Edwards (2018)

Threatened

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
14,000
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: (Grimes et al., 1997)

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

The Funai variety of Helong seems to be stably multilingual, but becoming endangered due to being a minority language in the region, frequent contact with speakers of other languages, and modern intermarriage. Adult speakers use the language with each other, and younger people tend to be fluently bilingual. The regional lingua franca, Meto, is losing ground to Indonesian/Kupang Malay. (Edwards, 2018)

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

Multilingualism is common, partially due to intermarriage with other ethnicities.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Meto
Indonesian/Kupang Malay

PLACES: Helong is spoken in the southwestern part of Timor island and Semau island in Indonesia. The Funai variety is spoken in and around Kupang City, western Timor., particularly the villages of Besmarak, Oeletsala, and Kolhua The Semau variety is spoken on Semau island. The Bolok variety is spoken in and around the port of Bolok and nearby villages.

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
9,000
Native speakers worldwide

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
14,000
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
15,000-20,000

DATE OF INFO: 1997 (Grimes, Therik, Grimes, Jacob)

PLACES: Indonesia;

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
14,000
Native speakers worldwide

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
1,000-9,999
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Kupang, eastern Indonesia

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
9,000
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1996

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
More on Orthography: No literacy in it.

PLACES: Indonesia: Timor Island

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Spoken on the southwestern tip of Timor Island near the port of Tenau, and in the majority of the villages on the nearby coast of Semau Island.

			2007	"Documentation of three dialects of Helong: an endangered language of eastern Indonesia" HRELP Abstract									http://www.hrelp.org/grants/projects/index.php?projid=115	Bowden, John	Bowden, John. 2007. ""Documentation of Three Dialects of Helong: An Endangered Language of Eastern Indonesia" HRELP Abstract." Online: http://www.hrelp.org/grants/projects/index.php?projid=115.					1000-9999			Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Kupang, eastern Indonesia
		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	15,000-20,000	14,000	1997 (Grimes, Therik, Grimes, Jacob)	10000-99999			Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Indonesia;
			2018	Preliminary report on Funai Helong		1-27			NUSA	65	Kupang	Leiden University and Language & Culture Unit (UBB)	http://repository.tufs.ac.jp/handle/10108/92897] [doi: https:// doi.org/10.15026/92897	Owen Edwards				14,000	(Grimes et al., 1997)	10000-99999	Meto, Indonesian/Kupang Malay	Multilingualism is common, partially due to intermarriage with other ethnicities.	Threatened (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	10	The Funai variety of Helong seems to be stably multilingual, but becoming endangered due to being a minority language in the region, frequent contact with speakers of other languages, and modern intermarriage. Adult speakers use the language with each other, and younger people tend to be fluently bilingual. The regional lingua franca, Meto, is losing ground to Indonesian/Kupang Malay. (Edwards, 2018)	13	12	Helong is spoken in the southwestern part of Timor island and Semau island in Indonesia. The Funai variety is spoken in and around Kupang City, western Timor., particularly the villages of Besmarak, Oeletsala, and Kolhua The Semau variety is spoken on Semau island. The Bolok variety is spoken in and around the port of Bolok and nearby villages.		-10.1414,123.2801;-10.1029,123.3652;-10.0958,123.2658
		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		9,000		1000-9999			Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)							-10.1905,123.5247
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		9,000	1996	1000-9999	Kupang Malay, Indonesian		Threatened (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				12	Indonesia: Timor Island	Spoken on the southwestern tip of Timor Island near the port of Tenau, and in the majority of the villages on the nearby coast of Semau Island.
				World Oral Literature Project									http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			14,000		10000-99999			Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Helong

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

9,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1,000-9,999

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

9,000

Discussion

Helong

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

9,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1,000-9,999

Threatened

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

9,000

Discussion

Suggest information or improvement

Download language data

Sources of information

Compare Sources