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

Dobel

A language of Indonesia (Maluku)

ISO 639-3: kvo

Population	8,000 (2000 SIL), increasing. 6,500 plus 1,000 outside the area; 2,700 in Northern Dobel, 1,800 in Straits Dobel, 1,400 in Southeast Dobel.
Region	Southeast Maluku, Aru Islands, entire east coast of Kobror Island, 1 village in southeast Wokam Island, 4 villages eastern half of Barakai Strait (Kobror and Koba Islands), 2 villages in central Kobror Island. 18 villages. Also Dobo and Ambon.
Language map	Indonesia, Southern Maluku
Alternate names	Doibel, Kobro’or, Kobroor, Sersifar Tannin
Dialects	Northern Dobel, Straits Dobel, Southeast Dobel. At least 3 dialects. Related to Lola [lcd], Lorang [lrn]. Lexical similarity: 78%–86% with Koba [kpd].
Classification	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Central Malayo-Polynesian, Aru
Language use	Vigorous. All Lorang use Dobel as L2. Some Chinese merchants who speak Dobo Malay dialect of Ambonese Malay [abs] and older Hokkien [nan] learn Dobel. All domains. All ages. Positive attitude. Also use Dobo Malay, a dialect of Ambonese Malay [abs]. Few use Standard Indonesian [ind]. Some also speak Manombai [woo].
Language development	Literacy rate in L1: 30%. Literacy rate in L2: 25%–50%. Bible portions: 1991–2004.
Writing system	Latin script.
Comments	Diving for oysters (for oyster farms and mother-of-pearl); fishermen; agriculturalists. 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.

HUGHES, Jock, author. 1995. "Dobel (Aru Islands): introduction and wordlist."

HUGHES, Jock, author. 2000. "The morphology of Dobel, Aru, with special reference to reduplication."

HUGHES, Jock, author. 2000. Thoughts on front translations.

HUGHES, Jock; HUGHES, Katy, authors. 1989. A phonology of Dobel.

Vernacular Publications

Dakuku datadira (Menceret). 1996.

Lalir. 1996.

Man de damee sar (Burung yang ada di aru). 1989.

Taʼuna aye yaʼa dam bana aburor kwarisa. 1991.

Yusuf akoi yaʼa baisseʼim ne aids (Yusuf mati karena Aids). 1996.