An East Timorese girl speaking (from clockwise) Bunak, Tetum, Fataluku and Portuguese. Translation: In Bunak/Tetum/Fataluku/Portuguese, we say: I am in Dili. I have some money. I do not have any money.
Under Portuguese rule, all education was through the medium of Portuguese, although it coexisted with Tetum and other languages. Portuguese particularly influenced the dialect of Tetum spoken in the capital, Dili, known as Tetun Prasa, as opposed to the more traditional version spoken in rural areas, known as Tetun Terik. Tetun Prasa is the version more widely used, and is now taught in schools.
Indonesian has ceased to be an official language, although it, along with English, has the status of a 'working language' under the Constitution. It is still widely spoken, particularly among younger people who were educated entirely under the Indonesian system, under which the use of either Portuguese or Tetum were banned.
For many older East Timorese, the Indonesian language has negative connotations with the Suharto regime,[1] but many younger people have expressed suspicion or hostility to the reinstatement of Portuguese, which they see as a 'colonial language' in much the same way that Indonesians saw Dutch.[2] However, whereas the Dutch culture and language had little influence on those of Indonesia, the East Timorese and Portuguese cultures became intertwined, particularly through intermarriage, as did the languages. Portuguese was also a working language of the resistance against Indonesia.
An East Timorese girl speaking (from clockwise) Mambai, Portuguese and Tetum. Translation:
In Ainaro, we say "os" and "ôs" and "nor" and "nôr", just as the Portuguese say "avó" and "avô" (grandfather and grandmother)!
Young East Timorese have also felt at a disadvantage by the use of Portuguese, and accuse the country's leaders of favouring people who have only recently returned from overseas,[3] but even those older East Timorese who speak Portuguese, having been in the resistance, have not found jobs despite their proficiency in the language.[4]
Many foreign observers, especially from Australia and Southeast Asia have also been critical about the reinstatement of Portuguese, to which they would prefer English or Indonesian.[5] In spite of this, many Australian linguists have been closely involved with the official language policy, including the promotion of Portuguese.
Portugal and other Portuguese language countries such as Brazil have supported the teaching of Portuguese in East Timor. Some people in East Timor have complained that teachers from Portugal and Brazil are poorly equipped to teach in the country, as they do not know local languages, or understand the local culture.[6]
The rise of linguae francae in the linguistically diverse East Timor, and the domination of several clans over others, have led to the extinction of many smaller languages. However, some of these are still in use as ritual languages or cants. Research done in the mid-2000s by the Dutch/Timorese linguist Aone van Engelenhoven, for example, revealed that the Makuva language, formerly spoken by the Makuva tribe but believed to have been extinct since the 1950s, was still used occasionally.[8] In 2007, Van Engelenhoven discovered the existence of another language that was essentially extinct, called Rusenu.[9]
