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The Gorontalo language (also called Hulontalo) is a language spoken in Gorontalo Province, Sulawesi, Indonesia by the Gorontalo people.[2] With around one million speakers (2000 census), it is a major language of northern Sulawesi.[3]
Map of languages on the island of Sulawesi. The Gorontalic languages are marked in pink along with the Mongondowic languages
The Gorontalo language belongs to the Gorontalic language group, which is part of the Gorontalo-Mongondow languages family, a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family, which in turn is a branch of the Austronesian language family.
Musa Kasim et al. (1981) give five main dialects of Gorontalo: east Gorontalo, Limboto, Gorontolo City, west Gorontalo, and Tilamuta.
Distinctive Features
One of the most prominent features of the Gorontalo language is the use of a vowel (a, i, u, e, o) at the end of every word. Examples include: mela (red), huyi (night), tuluhu (sleep), rasipede (bicycle), and bongo (coconut).
Influence on pronunciation in Indonesian
Additionally, the influence of the Gorontalo language is strongly evident in the pronunciation of words in Indonesian. In some verbs and nouns in Indonesian that contain the letter "E", the pronunciation automatically shifts to "O" in Gorontalo Malay. Examples include:
bolajar (belajar - to study)
posawat (pesawat - airplane)
moncuci (mencuci - to wash)
mongapa (mengapa - why)
This influence on Indonesian pronunciation is considered a distinctive characteristic of Gorontalo Malay.
Phonology
Gorontalo is characterized by several highly unusual sound changes, including PMP*s → Gorontalo t; *n → l; *k → ʔ; *mb, *nd → m, n; *bu → hu. Also, there are also vowel changes, such as *a turning into o (/ *b_) or e (/ {*d, *g}_); prosthesis of original initial vowels with w- or y- (before *i); and epenthesis of final consonants with -o (*anak → wala'o "child").[7]
Consonant sequences include NC (homorganic nasal–plosive), where C may be /bdtd̠ɟɡk/. Elsewhere, /bd/ are relatively rare and only occur before high vowels. /d̠/, written ⟨ḓ⟩ in linguistic study materials, but not distinguished from ⟨d⟩ elsewhere, is a laminal post-alveolar coronal stop that is indeterminate as to voicing. The phonemic status of [ʔ] is unclear; if [VʔV] is interpreted as vowel sequences /VV/, then this contrasts with long vowels (where the two V's are the same) and vowel sequences separated by linking glides (where the two V's are different).
Gorontalo words are stressed on the penultimate syllable, regardless of structure: momikiirangi "think", momikiirangipo "think before (doing something)".[8]
Literature
The manuscript in Gorontalo language written by J.G.F. Riedel in 1870
One of the oldest manuscripts in the Gorontalo language that has been discovered is titled Utiya tilingolowa lo pilu lo tau lota ohu-uwo lo pilu boito. Below the title of this book is written poliama 1870, which indicates the year the manuscript was written. The term poliama refers to the ancient astronomical knowledge of the Gorontalo people, based on the movements of celestial bodies, which was practiced in activities such as farming, building a new house, moving, marriage, and more. This manuscript was written by Johan Gerhard Frederich Riedel, the eldest son of the Dutch missionary J.F. Riedel.
Another relatively old book about the Gorontalo language was written by Wilhelm Joest, a world traveler and ethnographer from Germany. The book is titled Das Holontalo: Glossar und grammatische Skizze; ein Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Sprachen von Celebes, printed in Berlin in 1883.
Literary works
The Gorontalo people have long been familiar with various literary works, particularly oral literature that has been passed down from generation to generation. Some forms of oral literature that can still be found in the daily life of the Gorontalo community are:
Tanggomo: Narrative poetry not bound by lines, containing information about real events or true folklore.
Tuja'i: Rhyming poetry that contains praises, religious advice, and customary wisdom.
Leningo: Poetry consisting of proverbs, wise words, or expressions that can serve as life guidance.
Lumadu: Verse consisting of one or two sentences that convey principles of life and the character of the Gorontalo people.
Taleningo: Poetry that provides advice about death, birth, and preparation for the afterlife.
Tinilo: Gorontalo pantun that contains praises, entertainment, prayers, history, and calls for good deeds.
The biggest challenge for these various forms of oral literature in Gorontalo is empowering the younger generation to preserve the literary and cultural heritage of their ancestors, which is increasingly being eroded by the passage of time. One of the greatest difficulties in efforts to preserve the various forms of Gorontalo oral literature is the limited cadre of oral literature practitioners, as it is only spoken and memorized by performers, cultural figures, or local elders. This has led to the scarcity of written texts documenting Gorontalo oral literature.
The only and very limited references related to Gorontalo oral literature can be traced back to the arrival of Islamic preachers and Dutch colonizers in Gorontalo, who introduced various forms of written works as mediums of writing and communication for the Gorontalo people.
Vocabulary
Family tree
Gorontalo language
English
Ti Bapu
grandfather
Ti Nene
grandmother
Tiyamo, Ti Papa, Ti Sebe
father
Tilo, Ti Mama, Ti Ajus
mother
Ti Om
uncle
Ti Tante
aunt
Ti Kaka
older brother
Ti Tata
older sister
Te Uti, Te Nunu
younger brother
Ti No'u, Ti Pi'i
younger sister
Note: The words Ti and Te are forms of address commonly used by the Gorontalo people when referring to or addressing someone.
The word Ti is added when addressing a woman or an older, respected person (as a sign of respect and honor).
The word Te is added when addressing a man or a younger male and is also used for male peers.
Numbers
Gorontalo language
English
Cardinal
Ordinal
Cardinal
Ordinal
Tuwawu
Oyinta
one
first
Duluwo
Oluwo
two
second
Totolu
Otulu
three
third
Wopatu
Opato
four
fourth
Limo
Olimo
five
fifth
Wolomo
Olomo
six
sixth
Pitu
Opitu
seven
seventh
Walu
Owalu
eight
eighth
Tiyo
Otiyo
nine
ninth
Mopulu
Opulu
ten
tenth
Prominent figures
There are several key figures who have played a role in the preservation of the Gorontalo language, including:
Manuli
He is a performer of tanggomo, a form of oral literature in the Gorontalo language. Manuli is known for his exceptional ability to memorize thousands of tanggomo verses and to spontaneously create new verses based on recent events or occurrences he has witnessed. The tanggomo verses he composed were often performed in traditional markets in Gorontalo while he was selling his goods, attracting crowds and boosting his sales. Many of his tanggomo verses were recorded and archived as digital records by Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) Gorontalo.
He was a lecturer at the State University of Gorontalo (UNG). Pateda authored many books, the most well-known of which are the Gorontalo-Indonesian Dictionary and the Indonesian-Gorontalo Dictionary. He was also involved in the translation of the Quran into the Gorontalo language, a project undertaken by a team. For his contributions, he was honored with the customary title Taa Lopoolamahe Popoli, meaning 'The Best Son and Cultural Preserver of Gorontalo'.
He was an expert in the Indonesian language and a professor of linguistics at Padjadjaran University. He became widely known to the public as the host of the Pembinaan Bahasa Indonesia program on TVRI from 1974 to 1979. His dedication to the Gorontalo language was evident in his book "Morfologi Bahasa Gorontalo". In recognition of his efforts, the Gorontalo Customary Council awarded him the title Taa O Ilomata To Wulito.
↑ Noorduyn, J. (1982). "Sound Changes in the Gorontalo Language". In Halim, A.; Carrington, L.; Wurm, S.A. (eds.). Papers from the Third International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics, Vol. 2: Tracking the travellers. Pacific Linguistics, C-75. Canberra: Australian National University. pp.241–261. doi:10.15144/PL-C75.241. hdl:1885/145067. ISBN978-0-85883-275-6.
Steinhauer, H. (1991). "Problems of Gorontalese Phonology". In Poeze, H. A.; Schoorl, P. (eds.). Excursies in Celebes: Een Bundel Bijdragen bij het Afscheid van J. Noorduyn als Directeur-Secretaris van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkendkunde. KITLV Uitgeverij. pp.325–338.
Little, John A. Jr. (1995). "Gorontalo". In Tryon, Darrell T. (ed.). Comparative Austronesian Dictionary: An Introduction to Austronesian Studies. Vol.1. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. pp.521–527. doi:10.1515/9783110884012.1.521. ISBN978-3-11-088401-2. OCLC868970232.
Kasim, M. Musa; Wahidji, Habu; Pateda, Mansoer; Junus, Husain; Hasan, Kartin; Koem, A. P. (1981). Geografi Dialek Bahasa Gorontalo (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa – via repositori.kemdikbud.go.id.
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