Malay, Kupang | Ethnologue

A language of Indonesia

ISO 639: mkn
Alternate Names: Basa Kupang
Autonym: Kupang
Population: 350,000, all users. L1 users: 200,000 (2015 C. Grimes). L2 users: 150,000 (2015 C. Grimes).
Location:: East Nusa Tenggara province: Kupang regency, Kupang city and Semau island; all on west Timor island.
Language Status: 3 (Wider communication). Derived from Malay. Language of wider communication used in spice trade in the city of Kupang and surrounding region in the 1640s. Lingua franca for interethnic communication in the region or in mixed marriages.
Classification: Creole, Malay based
Dialects: Air Mata, Kupang.
Typology: SVO.
Language Use: Vigorous. All domains. Used by all. Also use Indonesian [ind]. Used as L2 by Helong [heg], Lole [llg], Termanu [twu], Tii [txq].
Language Development: Literature. Newspapers. Radio. Videos. Dictionary. NT: 2007.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Malay, Kupang
Writing: Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments: Loanwords from several Rote and Chinese languages, Portuguese [por], Uab Meto [aoz], Sabu [hvn], Spanish [spa], Dutch [nld], English [eng]. Christian, Muslim.

Location: East Nusa Tenggara province: Kupang regency, Kupang city and Semau island; all on west Timor island.