The last survey in 2008 conducted by the Research Team from the Faculty of Letters and Culture Khairun University states that Kao language is only used by family over 40 years of age. In traditional, social, and daily events, or religious ceremonies, the Kao language is no longer used.[2]
History and spread
The Kao language is spoken by the Kao people. The opening of cultural influences brought by immigrants gave birth to acculturation and inculturation in accordance with values that are considered noble by society.
Currently, the Kao language is being displaced by Ternate Malay. However, a preservation effort is still carried out by performing arts. For example, the Gala Kao which is carried out by playing Kao-language rhymes. Even though it is no longer used in daily life, the people of Kao still recognize that this language is their native language.
The current distribution of the Kao language is in the interior of North Halmahera, the mouth of the Kao River, and the Kao capital area (Kao District).[3]
Language speakers
Judging from the speakers, it is believed that the older the speakers of a language, the more fluent they are.[2]
60 years and older: very fluent and they understand complex old words.
50–59 years: fluent, but they do not understand complex vocabulary.
40–49 years: not fluent, but they understand and communicate in Kao quite fluently.
References
^Kao at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
