Kairui-Midiki language

Kairui-Midiki (also known simply as Midiki or Kairui, or Hoso by its speakers) is a language of East Timor spoken by 18,600 people in 2015, primarily in Venilale Administrative Post in Baucau, parts of the Viqueque Municipality, and suco Kairui (Manatuto Municipality).^[1]

RegionNortheast East Timor

Native speakers

18,600: 14,600 Midiki and 4,000 Kairui (2015 census)^[1]

Language family

Austronesian

• Malayo-Polynesian
  • Central–Eastern
    • Timoric
      • Kawaimina
        • Kairui-Midiki

ISO 639-3krd

Quick facts Region, Native speakers ...

Kairui-Midiki
Region	Northeast East Timor
Native speakers	18,600: 14,600 Midiki and 4,000 Kairui (2015 census)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Central–Eastern Timoric Kawaimina Kairui-Midiki
Language codes
ISO 639-3	krd
Glottolog	kair1265
ELP	Kairui-Midiki Kairui-Midiki
Distribution of Midiki
Distribution of Kairui
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Close

Kairui-Midiki is closely related to the Waima'a and Naueti languages. These four varieties' level of mutual intelligibility has led some to categorize them as dialects of a single language: Kawaimina.^[2]

Kairui and Midiki were listed separately in the Timor-Leste 2010 Census, but are often considered dialects of a single language, in the literature named Kairui-Midiki.^[3] According to some sources Kairui is spoken in and around the village of that name in Manatuto, and Midiki is heard in of Lacluta, Liaruca, Uai-Mori, and Venilale. However in some districts the names Midiki and Kairui are used interchangeably.