Nedebang is a
Papuan language
The Papuan languages are the non- Austronesian and non-Australian languages spoken on the western Pacific island of New Guinea in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, as well as neighbouring islands, by around 4 million people. It is a strictly geogra ...
spoken in the villages of Balungada and Baulang in the eastern district of
Pantar island in the
Alor archipelago of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. There are also Nedebang speakers in Air Panas, administratively part of Balungada but located 1 km from the main village.
Nedebang is an extremely
endangered language
An endangered language or moribund language is a language that is at risk of disappearing as its speakers die out or shift to speaking other languages. Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers and becomes a "dead langu ...
. It is no longer used as the language of daily communication, even within the home.
Indonesian or
Alor Malay
Alor Malay is spoken in the Alor archipelago. Speakers perceive Alor Malay to be a different register of standard Indonesian, but both of these are prestige varieties of the archipelago. Many people are able to understand standard Indonesian, bu ...
is used widely. Some residents of Bolungada are also fluent in Tewa; and some residents of Air Panas speak the Baranusa dialect of the
Alor language (not to be confused with Alor Malay). Fieldwork in 2004 estimates that there are fewer than 200 speakers of Nedebang and the youngest speakers are in their 50s.
Name
The name Nedebang is widely recognized by speakers, though some prefer the name Klamu. The former refers to an ancestral village located on a ridge above the area in which the speakers now reside. This area is reportedly still used for gardening and for traditional ceremonies. The term Klamu refers to a tribe (Indonesian ''suku''). The Klamu people moved from Nedebang to the coast prior to Indonesian independence, probably in the 1930s. Religion plays a significant role in the social and linguistic dynamics of the region. With the exception of Air Panas, the people of Balungada are Christian, and most residents are of Klamu descent. In contrast, the villages of Baulang and Air Panas are Islamic and contain significant populations of Austronesian-speakers who have migrated from Baranusa. The language thus appears to be more viable in Balungada. There appears to be no strong dialect division within Nedebang.
References
External links
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Languages of Indonesia
Alor–Pantar languages
Endangered Papuan languages
Western New Guinea
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