Gorontalo Malay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gorontalo Malay | |
|---|---|
| Bahasa Indonesia Gorontalo[1] | |
| Mobisala Molayu | |
| Native to | Indonesia (Gorontalo and Central Sulawesi) |
| Region | Gorontalo and the northern part of Gulf of Tomini |
| Ethnicity | Gorontaloan |
Native speakers | ~1,000,000 |
Malay-based creole
| |
| Latin and Jawi[2] | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
Gorontalo Malay, also known as Bahasa Indonesia Gorontalo or Mobisala Molayu in Gorontalo,[1] is a Malay-based creole language spoken by the majority of the Gorontalo people in the northern part of Sulawesi, Indonesia, especially in the province of Gorontalo,[3][4] as well as in Buol Regency, Central Sulawesi.[5]
Linguistically, Gorontalo Malay is classified as a trade language and a Malay-based creole.[6][7] It generally functions as a lingua franca in Gorontalo and its surrounding areas, including parts of the northern Gulf of Tomini, which are also inhabited by the Gorontaloan people.[8][9]
The influence of Arabic is evident in Gorontalo Malay, with several Arabic words incorporated into the language, such as ana (أنا) for the first-person singular pronoun (I) and ente (أنت) for the second-person singular pronoun (you).[10]
Gorontalo Malay initially developed in the coastal regions of Gorontalo, particularly in port cities. It later absorbed influences from Arabic, Dutch, Ternate Malay, and primarily from Manado Malay,[11] alongside Gorontaloan as the native language of its speakers.[3][12]
The language also shares similarities in vocabulary and grammar with Ternate Malay, a feature common to other Eastern Indonesian Malay varieties. One key difference between Gorontalo Malay and other Eastern Indonesian Malay varieties is its distinct pronunciation intonation, heavily influenced by the Gorontalo language.[5]