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Buru

A language of Indonesia (Maluku)

ISO 639-3: mhs

Population	33,000 in Indonesia (1989 SIL). 6,622 Wae Sama, 9,600 Masarete, 14,258 Rana, 500 Fogi, and 2,000 in Ambon.
Region	Central Maluku, Ambon, Jakarta, south, southeast, and central Buru Island. 70 villages. Also in Netherlands.
Language map	Indonesia, Central Maluku
Alternate names	Boeroe, Buruese
Dialects	Masarete (South Buru), Wae Sama (Waesama), Central Buru (Rana, Wae Geren, Wae Kabo), Fogi (Li Emteban, Tomahu). Li Garan is a special taboo dialect spoken by the Rana people (3,000 to 5,000 users). Ethnic population Fogi dialect: 500, but no remaining speakers. Lexical similarity: 90% between Masarete and Wae Sama dialects, 88% between Masarete and Rana, 80% between Wae Sama and Rana, 68% between Lisela [lcl] and Masarete, 48% between Leliali dialect of Kayeli [kzl] and Masarete, 45% between Kayeli [kzl] and Masarete, 44% between Ambelau [amv] and Masarete, 27%–33% between Buru dialects and Sula [szn].
Classification	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Central Malayo-Polynesian, Central Maluku, Buru
Language use	Vigorous in most areas. The Speakers of Fogi dialect have apparently shifted to Ambonese Malay [abs]. All domains. All ages.
Language development	Grammar. Bible portions: 1904–1997.
Writing system	Latin script.
Comments	There are word taboos and complex intermarriage patterns on the island. Exogamous. 10 clans. SVO; prepositions; genitives before nouns; predominantly head marking; CV, CVC, V, VC; nontonal. Swidden agriculturalists: cloves, tuber crops; sago gatherers; copra production. Traditional religion, Muslim, Christian.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

GRIMES, Barbara Dix, author. 1990. The return of the bride: affiliation and alliance on Buru.

GRIMES, Barbara Dix, author. 1993. The pursuit of prosperity and blessing: social life and symbolic action on Buru Island, Eastern Indonesia.

GRIMES, Barbara Dix, author. 1994. "Buru inside out."

GRIMES, Barbara Dix, author. 1997. "Knowing your place: Representing relations of precedence and origin on the Buru landscape."

GRIMES, Charles E., author. 1991. "Final consonants in Masarete: insights from a Central Malayo-Polynesian language."

GRIMES, Charles E., author. 1992. The Buru language of eastern Indonesia.

GRIMES, Charles E.; LESNUSSA, Wesly M., authors. 1995. "Buru (Masarete): introduction and wordlist."

GRIMES, Charles E.; MARYOTT, Kenneth R., authors. 1994. "Named speech registers in Austronesian languages."

Vernacular Publications

‘Asu tu Menjangan’: Tu endohin gerano fi di Fuk-Buru. 1997.

Empeit malaria. 1997.

Ma eskotak masin kaki gam doo = Bagaimana kita merawat mesin jahit . 1996.

Ma eskotak masin kaki gam doo. 1997.