Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Karas Laut (Seaside Karas), Kalamang-mang
CLASSIFICATION		Trans-New Guinea, West Bomberai
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3; Glottolog
LANGUAGE CODE		kgv; kara1499
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “A grammar of Kalamang: The Papuan language of the Karas Islands” . Eline Visser (2020)

Severely endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
134
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
419
SEMI SPEAKERS
56
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
No one born after 1990 can be counted as a fluent speaker, and it is rare for them to have two fluent Kalamang-speaking parents.

DATE OF INFO: 2019

DOMAINS OF USE
SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
SPEAKER ATTITUDE: There is neither shame, taboo, nor pride in using their language, just a neutral attitude. Speakers occasionally express regret that their children don't speak Kalamang, and blame the children for being too stupid to learn it.
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: Exogamy is commonly practiced, particularly Kalamang men marrying women from Java, the Moluccas, Sulawesi, the other Karas Islands.
More on Orthography: Kalamang does not have a written tradition. Kalamang words, texts, and social media posts are written with Indonesian orthography.

PLACES: Spoken in the villages of Mas (Sewa) and Antalisa (Tamisen) on Kalamang lempuang, the biggest of the Karas Islands in Sebakor Bay just off the coast of Bomberai Peninsula of western New Guinea

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
240
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
(1983 SIL)

DATE OF INFO: 1983

PLACES: Indonesia;

Endangered

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

Endangered

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

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
200
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
More recent estimates place the speaker number closer to 100.

DATE OF INFO: 1978

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Indonesia: Irian Jaya

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Spoken on Karas Island, off the southwest coast of the Bomberai Peninsula, which is south of Bird’s Head Peninsula. The island is southeast of Fakfak.

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
130
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
300
SEMI SPEAKERS
50
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Speaker numbers as displayed here are unpublished (but see Eline Visser's forthcoming PhD thesis, A grammar of Kalamang). Info on other aspects discussed here can be found in Eline Visser's MA thesis: Visser, E. (2016). A grammar sketch of Kalamang with a focus on phonetics and phonology (Master's thesis).

DATE OF INFO: 2019

DOMAINS OF USE
SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
SPEAKER ATTITUDE: Positive or neutral
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: None
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT: None
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: Iha is not used as a trade language by Kalamang speakers. Many people claim to speak/understand neighbouring Uruangnirin, but any extensive communication (e.g. marriage negotiations) will be in Indonesian.
Scripts (Writing system): Latin
More on Orthography: No official orthography is used, but people generally apply Indonesian spelling rules.

PLACES: Indonesia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Maas and Antalisa villages, the biggest of the Karas islands, West-Bomberai- Fakfak regency, West Papua province, 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		240	1983	100-999	(1983 SIL)								Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				Indonesia;
		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		100		100-999									Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)						-3.4585,132.6599
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		200	1978	100-999	More recent estimates place the speaker number closer to 100.				Iha, Indonesian				Endangered (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)			13	Indonesia: Irian Jaya	Spoken on Karas Island, off the southwest coast of the Bomberai Peninsula, which is south of Bird’s Head Peninsula. The island is southeast of Fakfak.
			2019	Personal Communication on Karas									Eline Visser			300	130	2019	100-999	Speaker numbers as displayed here are unpublished (but see Eline Visser's forthcoming PhD thesis, A grammar of Kalamang). Info on other aspects discussed here can be found in Eline Visser's MA thesis: Visser, E. (2016). A grammar sketch of Kalamang with a focus on phonetics and phonology (Master's thesis).	50	10	Indonesian for all contact with outsiders, people from mixed families (from Goromese or Uruangnirin-speaking villages) speak that with part of their family	Indonesian, Geser-Gorom, Uruangnirin	Positive or neutral	Iha is not used as a trade language by Kalamang speakers. Many people claim to speak/understand neighbouring Uruangnirin, but any extensive communication (e.g. marriage negotiations) will be in Indonesian.	All	Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13	12	14	Indonesia	Maas and Antalisa villages, the biggest of the Karas islands, West-Bomberai- Fakfak regency, West Papua province, Indonesia.	-3.454537, 132.686683
			2020	A grammar of Kalamang: The Papuan language of the Karas Islands					Lund, Sweden	Centre for Languages and Literature	Lund University	https://portal.research.lu.se/ws/files/87549524/Visser_Eline_2020_A_grammar_of_Kalamang_the_Papuan_language_of_the_Karas_Islands.pdf	Eline Visser	Visser, E. (2020). A grammar of Kalamang: The Papuan language of the Karas Islands. Lund University.		419	134	2019	100-999	No one born after 1990 can be counted as a fluent speaker, and it is rare for them to have two fluent Kalamang-speaking parents.	56			Papuan Malay, Bahasa Indonesia, Uruangnirin, Geser-Gorom, Muna, Javanese	There is neither shame, taboo, nor pride in using their language, just a neutral attitude. Speakers occasionally express regret that their children don't speak Kalamang, and blame the children for being too stupid to learn it.	Exogamy is commonly practiced, particularly Kalamang men marrying women from Java, the Moluccas, Sulawesi, the other Karas Islands.		Severely Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	13	13	Spoken in the villages of Mas (Sewa) and Antalisa (Tamisen) on Kalamang lempuang, the biggest of the Karas Islands in Sebakor Bay just off the coast of Bomberai Peninsula of western New Guinea		-3.2940,132.4153
				World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			100		100-999									Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Kalamang

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

134

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

240

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

100

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

100

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

200

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

130

Discussion

Kalamang

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

134

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

240

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

100

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

100

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

200

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

130

Discussion

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