Tombulu, also known as Minahasan language, is an
Austronesian
Austronesian may refer to:
*The Austronesian languages
*The historical Austronesian peoples
The Austronesian people, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples who have settled in Taiwan, maritime Sout ...
language of northern
Sulawesi
Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...
in Indonesia. It is a
Minahasan language, a sub-group of the
Philippine languages
The Philippine languages or Philippinic are a proposed group by R. David Paul Zorc (1986) and Robert Blust (1991; 2005; 2019) that include all the languages of the Philippines and northern Sulawesi, Indonesia—except Sama–Bajaw (language ...
.
It is a local language of the
Minahasa people
The Minahasans or Minahassa are an Austronesian ethnic group native to North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the Minahasan pre-Christi ...
spoken in the city of
Tomohon
Tomohon is a landlocked City status in Indonesia, city in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It covers an area of 147.21 km2, and had a population of 91,553 at the 2010 Census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. rising to 100,587 at the 2020 Census ...
and in the villages under the Kota Tomohon administration such as Rurukan, Pinaras, Kumelembuai, Woloan, and Tara-Tara. It is also spoken in the villages under the administration of the
Minahasa Regency
Minahasa Regency is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its capital is Tondano. It covers an area of 1,141.64 km2 and had a population of 310,384 at the 2010 Census;Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. this rose to ...
in the Tombulu district, Tombariri district, Mandolang district, Pineleng district, and two villages in the Sonder district, namely Rambunan and Sawangan.
Distribution
Below are the list of villages that historically speaks bahasa Tombulu:
Kota Tomohon
* Sarongsong
* Uluindano
* Wailan
* Kayawu
* Woloan
* Tara-Tara
* Rurukan
* Pinaras
* Kumelembuai
* Pangolombian
* Lahendong
* Tondangow
Minahasa Regency
(Pineleng District)
* Sea
* Pineleng
* Warembungan
* Lotta
* Kali
(Tombulu District)
* Koka
* Tikela
* Sawangan
* Kamangta
* Tombuluan
* Kembes
* Rumengkor
* Suluan
(Mandolang District)
* Agotey
* Koha
* Tateli
(Tombariri District)
* Mokupa
* Tanawangko
* Senduk
* Poopoh
* Kumu
* Teling
(Sonder District)
* Sawangan
* Rambunan
Early settlers of Kapoya and Wuwuk village near Tumpaan traditionally were Tombulu speakers as they were part of an ancient Negri Sarongsong. There are also villages that are around
Bolaang Mongondow Regency
Bolaang Mongondow Regency is a regency of North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, situated on the island of Sulawesi. The principal town lies at Kotamobagu, which since 2007 has been administratively separated from the regency, the administrative cen ...
whose ancestors speaks Tombulu such as Rara'atean Village, whose ancestors are from Pangolombian, Kosio Village, whose ancestors are from Woloan, and Mariri Lama Village, whose ancestors are from Tombariri. All of these five villages no longer speaks Tombulu Language or aware that their ancestors originally speak Tombulu.
Phonology
Consonants
Vowels
Vocabulary
The Tombulu language is unique among the Minahasan languages in its pronunciation of the letter . In the other four Minahasan languages the letter is pronounced as is, but in Tombulu it is pronounced like the of the English language.
For example: , meaning 'white', would be pronounced as '.
Numerals
Phrases & examples
Status
The Tombulu language is in critical need of revitalization. It is not being spoken as a first language in highly populated areas such as Tomohon, Pineleng, and Tanawangko. Traditionally Tombulu-speaking villages such as Woloan, Tara-Tara, Lolah, and Lemoh are not so today. The Board of Education of the Indonesian government has not offered any help either to the Tombulu language or any other local languages that are in decline. It is responsible for the removal of the from the daily curriculum of all grade schools across the nation in the past few years. , if available, is a daily class which most provinces in Indonesia use to teach the new generations the local languages and culture.
Tombulu is still spoken in villages such as Kayawu, Rurukan, Kumelembuai, Pinaras, Suluan, Kembes, Tombuluan, Rumengkor, Kali, Tondangow, Sawangan, and Rambunan all the way to the children. One Sunday on every month, Tombulu language is used in sermon in its local churches.
At the beginning of 2013, an Indonesian-Tombulu dictionary was first released. A New Testament version of the Bible in Tombulu language was released in November 2018.
References
{{Philippine languages
Languages of Sulawesi
Minahasan languages