Page Type: languageWolio | Ethnologue

WLO ISO 639-3

Wolio

A language of Indonesia

ISO 639
wlo
Alternate Names
Baubau, Buton, Butonese, Butung
Population
65,000 in Indonesia (2004 D. Andersen). Population does not include those in other provinces.
Location:
Southeast Sulawesi province: Buton regency, Bau-Bau city on Buton island southwest coast.
Language Status
6b (Threatened).
Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Celebic, Wotu-Wolio, Wolio-Kamaru
Dialects
Lexical similarity: 61% with Cia-Cia [cia]; 60% with Masiri dialect of Cia-Cia and Lantoi dialect of Kaimbulawa [zka].
Typology
29 consonants and 5 vowels.
Language Use
Former court language of Baubau Sultanate, and surrounding communities; formerly used by nobility in the region. Wolio is declining in the urban center, but being maintained at the rural periphery. Some young people, all adults. Children in villages use Wolio, but city children primarily use Indonesian. Most also use Indonesian [ind]. Some also use Muna [mnb]. Some also use Pancana [pnp]. Used as L2 by Busoa [bup], Cia-Cia [cia], Kamaru [kgx], Kioko [ues], Liabuku [lix], Muna [mnb], Pancana [pnp], Taloki [tlk].
Language Development
Dictionary. Texts.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Wolio
Writing
Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab], no longer in use.
Other Comments
‘Buton’ usually used generically inside Southeast Sulawesi to refer to Wolio; outside Southeast Sulawesi it refers to people from Southeast Sulawesi, or is sometimes confused with Bajau people as sailors. Muslim.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Southeast Sulawesi province: Buton regency, Bau-Bau city on Buton island southwest coast.