Saparua language

Saparua
Iha
Native to	Indonesia
Region	Seram and Saparua Islands, Maluku
Native speakers	(10,200 cited 1989)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian (MP) Central–Eastern MP Central Maluku ? East Central Maluku Seram ? Nunusaku Piru Bay East Solehua Seram Straits Uliase Saparua
Language codes
ISO 639-3	spr
Glottolog	sapa1251
ELP	Saparua

Saparua is an Austronesian language spoken in Maluku of eastern Indonesia. Dialects are diverse, and Latu might be included as one. Saparua is currently spoken by around 1,500 people, and it is threatened by extinction. According to a researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency, Khairunnisa, stated that this is caused by the influences of Dutch colonialism, the sectarian conflict, migration, globalization, and the duty to speak Indonesian.^[2]

References

1. Saparua at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. "Bahasa Saparua Terancam Punah, Ternyata Ini Sebabnya". brin.go.id. Retrieved 2024-03-16.