Tetun Dili
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A language of East Timor
ISO 639-3
Alternate Names
Dili Tetum, Lia-Tetun, Tetum, Tetum Dili, Tetum Prasa, Tetum Praça, Tetun, Tetun Prasa
Autonym
Tetun Dili
Population
385,000 (2009).
Location
L1 in Dili district: East Timor north coast; L2 scattered in western part of East Timor.
Language Maps
Language Status
1 (National). Statutory national language (2002, Constitution, Article 13).
Classification
Dialects
Typology
SVO; prepositions; noun heads initial, except for possessor; tense-aspect markers; 22 consonants and 5 vowels; non-tonal; stress most commonly on the penultimate syllable; inclusive/exclusive pronouns; second person singular honorific.
Language Use
Increasing in use in urban areas. All domains. Used by all. Also use Tetun [tet], some bilingually, but many others have significant difficulty understanding it in many domains.
Language Development
Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 2016.
Language Resources
Writing
Latin script [Latn].
Cultural rituals and themes in Tetun [tet] are not as deeply rooted in Tetun Dili. Christian.