Very fun read, even for those of us without a linguistics background. So, are most people you encounter in your community bilingual at minimum? Are there generational differences in language use? Situational differences in use? Market vs home vs school vs workplace, for ex? Thanks!
Most people in my community are at minimum bilingual. Usually Makasa'e/Midiki/Waima'a + Tetun + Bahasa Indonesia + whatever Portuguese they learned in school. Older people definitely are more likely to use solely Makasa'e/Midiki/Waima'a but the teenagers at my school chat to each other everyday in their native languages. In terms of situational differences in use, the domain that probably features the most usage of Makasa'e/Midiki/Waima'a is the home. Generally in all domains, it depends who you are talking to. Since people tend to know everyone else in the community, they know who speaks what language. If a Midiki speaker, for example, is talking to a Makasa'e speaker, they'll switch into Tetun as a lingua franca. My office at school is a mix of Makasa'e, Midiki, and Tetun depending on who's there that day!
As a fellow linguist, I really appreciate your dive into East Timorese languages. It’s quite amazing how anyone anywhere can communicate.
Very fun read, even for those of us without a linguistics background. So, are most people you encounter in your community bilingual at minimum? Are there generational differences in language use? Situational differences in use? Market vs home vs school vs workplace, for ex? Thanks!
Most people in my community are at minimum bilingual. Usually Makasa'e/Midiki/Waima'a + Tetun + Bahasa Indonesia + whatever Portuguese they learned in school. Older people definitely are more likely to use solely Makasa'e/Midiki/Waima'a but the teenagers at my school chat to each other everyday in their native languages. In terms of situational differences in use, the domain that probably features the most usage of Makasa'e/Midiki/Waima'a is the home. Generally in all domains, it depends who you are talking to. Since people tend to know everyone else in the community, they know who speaks what language. If a Midiki speaker, for example, is talking to a Makasa'e speaker, they'll switch into Tetun as a lingua franca. My office at school is a mix of Makasa'e, Midiki, and Tetun depending on who's there that day!
With fasciation and joy I read this! Thank you!