Sulawesi Language Alliance

Championing Local Languages in the Heart of Indonesia

Language Group

Overview
ISO 639-3: 
bgz
Alternate Names: 
Banggay, Bangay, Banggaai, Banggaya, Banggaiy, "Aki"
Population: 
ethnic population 120000 (2000)
Microgroup: 
Province: 
Central Sulawesi
Overall Vitality: 
3/Definitely Endangered

Location

The Banggai Archipelago lies just south of Sulawesi’s eastern peninsula and to the west of the Sula Islands. The largest and oddly shaped island in the archipelago is Peling. Immediately to the southeast of Peleng and separated from it by a small strait is the island of Banggai, home to the principal town and port of the same name. In all the Banggai Archipelago comprises around a hundred islands and islets.

History

Formerly Banggai was one of two principal kingdoms along Sulawesi’s Gulf of Tolo (the other being Bungku). For centuries it was subject to the rajah of Ternate, and in turn ruled over Balantak- and Saluan-speaking areas on the adjacent mainland of eastern Sulawesi.

Classification

The word stock and to some extent also the grammar of Banggai are divergent for Sulawesi languages, such that some treated Banggai as more closely related to languages of the Moluccas (Kanski and Kasprusch 1931; see also Sneddon 1983, note 5), or considered it an isolate (Barr and Barr 1979; Sneddon 1993). However, by investigating patterns of historical sound change Mead (2003) demonstrated that Banggai is indeed closely related to Saluan, Balantak, and other languages of the adjacent mainland. 

Dialects

Banggai comprises two dialects: a western dialect spoken in western Peling (and, at least originally, also on Bangkurung and Bookan islands) and an eastern dialect spoken in eastern Peling and on the major islands Banggai and Labobo. However subsequent resettlement from one area to another has resulted in some admixing of dialects (see the discussion in Van den Bergh 1953:1–4, also the map inside the front cover). The eastern dialect, being that of the former native government, has higher prestige than the western dialect.

Population

Census figures for the year 2000 (Suryadinata, Arifin and Ananta 2003:8) report close to 120,000 Banggai in Central Sulawesi. However, this estimate represents the ethnic population. Because of language decline the number of fluent speakers is unknown but clearly lower, perhaps only half of this total.

References

Barr, Donald F.; and Sharon G. Barr. 1979. Languages of Central Sulawesi: checklist, preliminary classification, language maps, wordlists. In cooperation with C. Salombe. Ujung Pandang: UNHAS-SIL.

Bergh, J. D. van den. 1953. Spraakkunst van het Banggais. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.

Kanski, P.; and P. A. Kasprusch. 1931. Die indonesisch-melanesischen Übergangssprachen auf den Kleinen Molukken. Anthropos 26:883–890.

Mead, David. 2003. The Saluan-Banggai microgroup of eastern Sulawesi. Issues in Austronesian historical phonology (Pacific Linguistics, 550), edited by John Lynch, 65–86. Canberra: Australian National University.

Sneddon, J. N. (compiler.) 1983a. Northern Celebes (Sulawesi). Language atlas of the Pacific area, part 2: Japan area, Taiwan (Formosa), Philippines, mainland and insular South-east Asia (Pacific Linguistics, C‑67), edited by Stephen A. Wurm and Shirô Hattori, map 43. Canberra: Australian National University, Australian Academy of the Humanities and The Japan Academy.

Sneddon, J. N. 1993, The drift towards final open syllables in Sulawesi languages. Oceanic Linguistics 32:1–44.

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.

Vitality

Summary

 

Discussion

A survey team which visited Banggai in 2006 (Aprilani, Tarp, and Susilawati 2010) found that, despite a proud heritage and positive attitudes of adults toward their language, the younger generation speaks Indonesian almost exclusively. Because fluent speakers are in their thirties or older, we rate Banggai as 3/Definitely Endangered.

What Others Have Written

Aprilani, Tarp and Susilawati (2010:15)

The language vitality of Banggai can be categorised as decreasing. … The following evidence confirms this conclusion: 1) it is reported that children and teenagers not only do not use Banggai, but also do not understand it, and are unlikely to be encouraged to use it in the future as their primary language; and 2) only adult populations (beginning from late thirties) can speak Banggai, and they mainly use it for intimate communication between each other.

Aprilani, Tarp and Susilawati (2010:15)

The adult population, people in their thirties and above, speak and understand Banggai, and express a desire to preserve their linguistic heritage for the purpose of identifying their ethnicity. On the other hand, these expressed desires have had little effect to date on the younger generation, who speak Indonesian almost exclusively. The only concrete measures which have been undertaken are recording of Banggai songs on cassette, work on a Banggai dictionary, and the publication of a Banggai Bible.

References

Aprilani, Herdian; Kristina Tarp, and Tanti Susilawati. 2010. The Banggai of Central Sulawesi: A rapid appraisal survey report. SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2010-020. Online. URL: http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/9062 (accessed January 22, 2014).

Documentation

Documentation Status

Documentation status ratings are a way to gauge both what has been accomplished as well as what remains undone in regard to documenting a language in each of ten key domains. The scholarly research, publications, and other resources which merit these ratings are detailed in the bibliography that follows.

Documentation status ratings employ a scale from 3 (well documented in the concerned domain) to 0 (no documentation in the concerned domain). A question mark indicates unknown / not yet rated. For a complete list with all descriptions see further our page devoted to documentation status ratings.

The following table summarizes the documentation status of the Banggai language.

DomainLevelDescription
Anthropology 2 There exist several articles or a short ethnography introducing a people group.
Dialectology 1 An initial canvass or report of the dialects of the language exists.
Grammar 2 Several articles or a short grammar with incomplete coverage (between 80 to 250 pages) exist.
Historical-Comparative 1 An article establishing the subgroup exists.
Lexicon/Dictionary 1 A small, incomplete dictionary exists, usually not or hardly exceeding 200 pages.
Orthography 0
Phonology 1 There exists an initial but sound phonology sketch covering phonemes (allophones, contrast, distribution) and suprasegmentals such as stress, length and tone.
Sociolinguistics/Survey 2 There exist one or more survey reports based on focused visits to the language area.
Text Collection 1 One or a few short texts together with a translation exist.
Word List 1 A reliable Swadesh list of 100 or 200 words exists.

Bibliography

The following bibliography is broken down into ten domains: anthropology, dialectology, grammar, historical-comparative linguistics, lexicon/dictionary, orthography, phonology, sociolinguistics/survey, text collection, and word lists. A publication that relates to more than one domain may be cross-listed. Additional resources that concern this language or ethnic group, but which do not clearly relate to one of the ten primary domains, are listed under ‘Other.’ For this eleventh category we make no claim to completeness.

Anthroplogy

Bergh, J. D. van den. 1948. Banggaise ethnologica. Het Missiewerk 27:147-156, 193-207.

Broch, Harald Beyer. 1996. Continuity in oral literature at Timpaus Island, Indonesia. Anthropological Forum 7(3):383-402.

Broch, Harald Beyer. 1998. Local resource dependency and utilization in Timpaus. Environmental movements in Asia, edited by Arne Kalland and Gerard Persoon, 205-236. London: Curzon Press.

Broch, Harald Beyer. 2000. Yellow crocodiles and bush spirits: Timpaus islanders' conceptualization of ethereal phenomena. Ethos 28(1):3-19.

Broch, Harald Beyer. 2002. Jangan Lupa: An experiment in cross cultural understanding: The effort of two Norwegian children and Timpaus Indonesian villagers to create meaning in interaction. Oslo: Novum Forlag.

Broch, Harald Beyer. 2004. Timpaus Banggai. Encyclopedia of sex and gender: Men and women in the world's cultures, part 2, edited by arol R. Ember and Melvin Ember, 893-902. New York: Springer US.

Dormeier, J. J. 1847. Banggaische adatrecht. 's-Gravenhage: Nijhoff.

Henley, David; and Ian Caldwell. 2008. Kings and covenants: Stranger-kings and social contract in Sulawesi. Indonesia and the Malay World 36(105):269-291.

Kaudern, Walter. 1927. Ethnographical studies in Celebes: Results of the author’s expedition to Celebes 1917-1920, volume 3: Musical instruments in Celebes. Göteborg: Elanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag.

Kaudern, Walter. 1929. Ethnographical studies in Celebes: Results of the author’s expedition to Celebes 1917-1920, volume 4: Games and dances in Celebes. Göteborg: Elanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag.

Kaudern, Walter. 1937. Ethnological notes from Celebes. Ethnological Studies 4:84-127.

Kruyt, Alb. C. 1931. De vorsten van Banggai. Koloniaal Tijdschrift 20:505-528, 605-624.

Kruyt, Alb. C. 1932. Ziekte en dood bij de Banggaaiers. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indië 89:141-171.

Kruyt, Alb. C. 1932. De landbouw in den Banggai-Archipel. Koloniaal Tijdschrift 21:473-492.

Kruyt, Alb. C. 1932. De pilogot der Banggaiers en hun priesters. Mensch en Maatschappij 8:114-135.

Kruyt, Alb. C. 1932. De zwarte kunst in den Banggaai-archipel en in Balantak. Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 72:727-741.

Kruyt, Alb. C. 1932. Banggaaische studiën. Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 72:13-102.

Kruyt, Alb. C. 1932. De bewoners van den Banggaai-Archipel. Tijdschrift van het Koninklijk Aardrijkskundig Genootschap 49:66-88, 249-271.

Lebar, F. M. 1972. Ethnic groups of insular Southeast Asia, vol. 1: Indonesia, Adaman Islands and Madagascar. New Haven, CT: Human Relations Area Files Press. [Banggai, pp. 139-140]

Sukiyah; Dahlia Silvana; and Frankie Hitipeuw. 1995. Kartu data kebudayaan (HRAF) Propinsi Sulawesi Tengah: suku Pamona, Kulawi, Kaili, Saluan, Dampelas, Lore, Toli-toli, Banggai, Kahumamoan, Daya, Sea-sea, Wana. [Jakarta] : Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan, Direktorat Sejarah dan Nilai Tradisional, Proyek Pengkajian dan Pembinaan Nilai-Nilai Budaya Pusat.

Wylick, Carla van. 1941. Bestattungsbrauch und Jenseitsglaube auf Celebes. PhD dissertation, Universität Basel. 's-Gravenhage: [s.n.] [for Banggai, see pp. 147-151]

Dialectology

Aprilani, Herdian; Kristina Tarp, and Tanti Susilawati. 2010. The Banggai of Central Sulawesi: A rapid appraisal survey report. SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2010-020. Online. URL: http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/9062 (accessed January 22, 2014). [this study does little to advance our understanding of Banggai dialects beyond what was published in Van den Bergh (1953)]

Bergh, J. D. van den. 1953. Spraakkunst van het Banggais. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. [regarding Banggai dialects, see particularly the introduction on pp. 1-4; differences in phonology, morphology, grammar and wordstock are discussed throughout the text]

Grammar

Bergh, J. D. van den. 1953. Spraakkunst van het Banggais. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.

Historical-Comparative Linguistics

Mead, David. 2003. Evidence for a Celebic supergroup. Issues in Austronesian historical phonology (Pacific Linguistics, 550), edited by John Lynch, 115–141. Canberra: Australian National University. [elaborates the position of the Saluan-Banggai languages within an encompassing Celebic supergroup]

Mead, David. 2003. The Saluan-Banggai microgroup of eastern Sulawesi. Issues in Austronesian historical phonology (Pacific Linguistics, 550), edited by.John Lynch, 65‑86. Canberra: Australian National University. [establishes Saluan-Banggai as a valid genetic subgroup and concludes that Banggai must be considered a member of this subgroup]

Lexicon/Dictionary

Bergh, J. D. van den. 1953. Spraakkunst van het Banggais. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. [1500-item word list arranged alphabetically on pages 146-167]

Orthography

----

Phonology

Bergh, J. D. van den. 1953. Spraakkunst van het Banggais. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. [brief phonology description on pp 5-26]

Sociolinguistics/Survey

Adriani, N.; and Alb. C. Kruyt. 1914. De Bare'e-sprekende Toradja's van Midden-Celebes, vol. 3: Taal en letterkundige schets der Bare'e taal en overzicht van het taalgebied: Celebes - Zuid-Halmahera. Batavia: Landsdrukkerij. [overview of the Banggai language, pp. 281-288]

Aprilani, Herdian; Kristina Tarp, and Tanti Susilawati. 2010. The Banggai of Central Sulawesi: A rapid appraisal survey report. SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2010-020. Online. URL: http://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/9062 (accessed January 22, 2014).

Kaseng, Syahruddin; Masjhuddin Masjhuda, Abdul Muthalib, Indra Bangsawan Wumbu, Amir W. Lementut, Amir Kadir, and Abdul Latif Rozali. 1979. Bahasa-bahasa di Sulawesi Tengah. (Seri Bb, 13.) Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. [lexicostatistical classification based on comparison of only 23 items]

Wumbu, Indra B.; Amir Kadir, Nooral Baso, and Sy. Maranua. 1986. Inventarisasi bahasa daerah di Propinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa. [location, population, and word list info (no classification scheme provided)]

Text Collection

Bergh, J. D. van den. 1953. Spraakkunst van het Banggais. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. [two short folktales with Dutch free translation on pages 106-107]

Proyek Penerbitan dan Pencatatan Kebudayaan Daerah. 1981.Cerita rakyat Sulawesi Tengah. Jakarta: Proyek Penerbitan Buku Sastra Indonesia dan Daerah, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. [one story (no. 14) originating from the Banggai area, told in Indonesian only (Banggai text NOT included)]

Riedel, J. G. F. 1889. Bijdrage tot de kennis van de Banggaaische of Banggajasche taal. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indië 38:13-19. [2-page text (personal sailing narrative) in the West Banggai dialect with Dutch free translation and brief notes.]

Word List

Barr, Donald F. and Sharon G. Barr, in cooperation with C. Salombe. 1979. Languages of Central Sulawesi: Checklist, preliminary classification, language maps, wordlists. Ujung Pandang: UNHAS-SIL. [Swadesh 100, pages 102-104]

Lauder, Multamia R. M. T.;  Ayatrohaedi, Frans Asisi Datang, Hans Lapoliwa, et al. 2000. Penelitian kekerabatan dan pemetaan bahasa-bahasa daerah di Indonesia: Propinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa. [Swadesh 200, pages 75-174]

Schneeberger, W. F. 1937. A short vocabulary of the Banggai and Bajau language. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 15(3):145-164.

Stokhof, W. A. L. 1985. Holle lists: Vocabularies in languages of Indonesia, vol. 7/4: South-east Sulawesi and neighboring islands, west and north-east Sulawesi. (Pacific Linguistics, D-66.) Canberra: Australian National University. [Holle 1911 word list "Banggai Islands", pp 265-278]

Wumbu, Indra B.; Amir Kadir, Nooral Baso, Sy. Maranua. 1986. Inventarisasi bahasa daerah di Propinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa. [100 item word list (items drawn randomly from Swadesh 200 list), pages 122-125]

Other

Goedhart, O. E. 1908. Drie landschappen in Celebes. Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 50:442-549. [a snapshot of the Banggai region circa 1908 on pages 442-489]

Hart, C. van der. 1853. Reize rondom het eiland Celebes en naar eenige der Moluksche eilanden. 's Gravenshage: K. Fuhri. [account of a trip from February to July, 1850; Van der Hart with his two warships travelling from Makassar to Ambon, stopped in Buton, Kendari Bay, Bungku, Tomori Bay, Mondono, Balante and Banggai]

Horst, D. W. 1901. Reis naar de Banggai- en Soela-Eilanden. Rapport van den Resident van Ternate en Onderhoorigheden. Tijdschrift van het Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap 18:92-93.

Lapaso, Paulus M. and Janus Kidolite. 2002. Bilita Monondok: Kitab Moliyous doi silingan Banggai mobiasa-biasa. Jakarta: Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia. [vernacular language publication: Old and New Testament in Today’s Banggai Version]

Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia. 1993. Bilita Monondok Paladandian Boolu doi silingan Banggai. Jakarta: LAI. [vernacular language publication: New Testament in Banggai]

Musschenbroek, S. C. J. W. van. 1879. Toelichtingen, behoorende bij de kaart van de bocht van Tomini of Gorontalo en aangrenzende landen, de reeden, afvoerplaatsen, binnenlandsche wegen en andere middelen van gemeenschap. Amsterdam: C. L. Brinkman. [includes a brief description of trade and some recent events in and around the Tomini Bay]

Temminck, C. J. 1849. Coup d’oeil général sur les possessions néerlandaises dans l’Inde archipélagique, vol. 3. Leiden: A. Arnz.

Temminck, C. J. 1850-1851.The geographical group of Celebes. Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia 4(1850):664-686, 761-765; 5(1851):180-187, 250-253. [English translation of pages 1 through 80 of the third volume (1849) of Temminck's "Coup d’oeil général sur les possessions néerlandaises dans l’Inde archipélagique"]

Tolombot, Zakeus. 1983. Warna kelabu perjumpaan agama asli dan Injil: Suatu studi mengenai perjumpaan agama asli dan Injil di Luwuk Banggai. Undergraduate thesis, STT INTIM, Makassar.

Velthoen, Esther. 2010. Pirates in the periphery: Eastern Sulawesi 1820-1905. Pirates, ports, and coasts in Asia: Historical and contemporary perspectives, edited by John Kleinen and Manon Osseweijer, 200-221. Leiden: International Institute for Asian Studies.

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