Classification
Duri, Enrekang and Maiwa are three closely related languages which some consider to be dialects of a single language called Massenrempulu. From a lexicostatistical perspective, Duri can be viewed as transitional between Enrekang to its south and Sa'dan Toraja to its north (K. Valkama 1987:128).
Dialects
Dialectal differences across the Duri area are minor, although S. Valkama (1991:4) distinguishes three dialects: Cakke-Kalosi, the prestige dialect which is centrally located along the main road to Toraja; Baraka, spoken in the southeast of the Duri language area; and Benteng Alla, spoken on the Torajan border. In fact it may be debated whether Benteng Alla should be considered a dialect of Duri or of Sa'dan Toraja.
Population
Recent estimates place the number of Duri at 122,000 (Suryadinata, Arifin and Ananta 2003:8).
References
Suryadinata, Leo; Evi Nurvidya Arifin, and Aris Ananta. 2003. Indonesia’s population: Ethnicity and religion in a changing political landscape. (Indonesia’s Population Series, 1.) Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Valkama, Kari. 1987. Kabupatens Pinrang, Enrekang, Tana Toraja, Luwu and eastern part of Poliwali Mamasa. UNHAS-SIL South Sulawesi sociolinguistic surveys, 1983–1987 (Workpapers in Indonesian Languages and Cultures, 5), edited by Timothy Friberg, 119–136. Ujung Pandang: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Valkama, Susanne. 1991. Sociolinguistic overview of Duri. Unpublished typescript, 31 pp.
