Wolio

Print

A language of Indonesia

ISO 639-3
wlo
Alternate Names
Baubau
Population

65,000 in Indonesia (2004 D. Andersen). Population does not include those in other provinces.

Location

Southeast Sulawesi Province. Buton island, southwest coast towards Buntung strait; Baubau city, adjacent areas northeast and east. Also in Malaysia.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Celebic, Wotu-Wolio, Wolio-Kamaru
Dialects

Lexical similarity: 61% with Cia-Cia [cia]; 60% with Masiri dialect of Cia-Cia and Lantoi dialect of Kaimbulawa [zka].

Language Use

Former court language of Baubau Sultanate, and surrounding communities; formerly used by nobility in the region. Wolio is declining in the urban center, but being maintained at the rural periphery. Children in villages use Wolio, but city children primarily use Indonesian. Also use Indonesian [ind].

Language Development
Dictionary.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Wolio
Writing
Arabic script.
Other Comments

‘Buton’ usually used generically inside Southeast Sulawesi to refer to Wolio; outside Southeast Sulawesi it refers to people from Southeast Sulawesi, or is sometimes confused with Bajau people as sailors. Muslim.

Also spoken in:

Expand All Collapse All