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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Indonesia (Maluku) > Fordata

Fordata

A language of Indonesia (Maluku)

ISO 639-3: frd

Population	50,000 (Marshall 2000). 25,000 in the language area and 25,000 elsewhere (Marshall 2000).
Region	Southeast Maluku, north Tanimbar Islands of the Fordata, Larat, the Molu-Maru group, a few villages on the northwest part of Yamdena, and on Seira off the west coast of Yamdena. 30 villages. Also Saumlaki, Ambon, Tual, Sorong, Hayapura, Jakarta.
Language map	Indonesia, Southern Maluku
Alternate names	Larat, Vai Fordata, Vai Tnebar, Vaidida
Dialects	Fordata-Larat I, Fordata-Larat II, Molo (Molo-Maru), Sera (Seira). Sera is most divergent dialect. Lexical similarity: 68% with Kei [kei].
Classification	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Central Malayo-Polynesian, Southeast Maluku, Kei-Tanimbar, Kei-Fordata
Language use	Former trade language of Tanimbar Islands and the language of ritual. Now not well known by speakers of the other 3 languages, except older people who use it for ritual. Vigorous. 2 villages of mainly Muslim Geser and Bugis use Fordata as L2. All domains. Positive attitude. Most also use Ambonese Malay [abs]; Some also use Standard Indonesian [ind].
Language development	Literacy rate in L1: 1%–5%. Literacy rate in L2: 50%–75%. 2,500 read; 1,500 can write. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1996.
Writing system	Latin script.
Comments	Primary schools in nearly every village, secondary schools for every 3 or 4 villages. Swidden agriculturalists with diversification of crops and planting cycles: dry field rice, maize, tubers, beans; cash crop is copra; palm brandy; fishermen. Christian, Muslim.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

GRIMES, Charles E., editor. 2000. Spices from the east: Papers in languages of eastern Indonesia.

MARSHALL, Craig, author. 1991. A phonology of Fordata.

MARSHALL, Craig, author. 2000. "A phonological description of Fordata."

MARSHALL, Craig; MARSHALL, Sarah, authors. 1992. "Reduplication in Fordata."

Vernacular Publications

Lena nvaak ngul (Lena membuat minyak goreng). 1996.

Tfamalik afa naʼa vaidida. 1990.

Wear ma tvaat (Air adalah untuk kehidupan). 1996.