Discussion

At present there is an effort to conserve the Tombulu language, spearheaded by a committee at Universitas Kristen Indonesia Tomohon (UKIT). This group has produced Tombulu materials for school and church use, and in 2003 initiated Tombulu-language church services. The long-term outcome of these efforts is not yet known.

What Others Have Written

Merrifield (1991:86)

Tombulu has limited use. Children and young people do not speak it. Those who are educated also avoid it. Only the old speak it well. They use it in nonformal, intimate situations … According to Martha Salea most Tombulu speakers are fluent in Melayu Manado which they speak more frequently. A low opinion of Tombulu seems to be the basis for the disappearance of the language. Tombulu people are ashamed to speak it.

Ron Whisler (2008:pers.comm.)

The local Minahasan languages are used much less than 20 years ago, but language shift and language maintenance is inconsistent and difficult to document ... The Tombulu language is being maintained outside the larger towns/cities, and some are vigilant about it. They want it to live!

Wolff (2010:299)

All the Minahasan languages are endangered. The languages are still spoken by young people in rural areas, but the majority of the population, most especially the elite, has been switching to the Manado dialect of Malay. This process began more than a century ago, and has been proceeding with ever-increasing speed since.

References

Merrifield, Judi. [1991.] Life in North Sulawesi. Unpublished typescript, vii, 107 pp.

Wolff, John U. 2010. Proto-Austronesian phonology with glossary. 2 vols. Ithaca: Southeast Asia Program Publications, Cornell University.