Wemale is an
Austronesian
Austronesian may refer to:
*The Austronesian languages
*The historical Austronesian peoples
The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, M ...
language spoken on western
Seram Island
Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of the smaller Ambon Island and a few other adjacent ...
in
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 ...
. It is classified by Collins (1983) as a member of the
Central Maluku subgroup.
The language is divided into northern and southern dialects, having variants known as Honitetu, Oemale, and Tala.
[ Northern Wemale is spoken by about 5,000 people, whereas Southern Wemale is spoken by about 3,700 people.][ List of languages in Indonesia]
See also
* Wemale people
*Hainuwele
Hainuwele, "The Coconut Girl", is a figure from the Wemale and Alune folklore of the island of Seram in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. Her story is an origin myth.
The myth of Hainuwele was recorded by German ethnologist Adolf E. Jensen follow ...
References
Sources
Consolidation of Wemale
at SIL
Central Maluku languages
Languages of Indonesia
Seram Island
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