Hawu language

Hawu
Sabu
Pronunciation[ˈhavu]
Native toIndonesia
RegionLesser Sunda Islands
Native speakers
(100,000 cited 1997)[1]
Dialects
  • Seba (Həɓa)
  • Timu (Dimu)
  • Liae
  • Mesara (Mehara)
  • Raijua (Raidjua)
Language codes
ISO 639-3hvn
Glottologsabu1255
ELPHawu
location of the islands of Savu (Savoe) and Raijua in Indonesia
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The Hawu language (Hawu: Lii Hawu) is the language of the Savu people of Savu Island in Indonesia and of Raijua Island off the western tip of Savu. Hawu has been referred to by a variety of names such as Havu, Savu, Sabu, Sawu, and is known to outsiders as Savu or Sabu (thus Havunese, Savunese, Sawunese).[2][3] Hawu belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, and is most closely related to Dhao (spoken on Rote) and the languages of Sumba.[4] Dhao was once considered a dialect of Hawu, but the two languages are not mutually intelligible.[5]

  1. ^ Hawu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Walker, Alan T. (1982). A grammar of Sawu. Jakarta: Badan Penyelenggara Seri NUSA, Universitas Atma Jaya.
  3. ^ Vaughan, Anthony R. (2020). "Finding Hawu: Legacy data, finding aids and the Alan T. Walker Digital Language Collection". Language Documentation & Conservation. 14: 357–422. hdl:10125/24925. ISSN 1934-5275.
  4. ^ Blust, Robert. "Is there a Bima-Sumba subgroup?". Oceanic Linguistics: 45–113.
  5. ^ Grimes, Charles E. (2006). Hawu and Dhao in eastern Indonesia: revisiting their relationship (PDF). 10th International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics, Puerto Princessa, Philippines, 17–20 January 2006.