Mai Kolia Tetun

"In the island of Timor some twenty languages and dialects are spoken, and the Tetum taught in this book is not the rural or 'classical' variety of the language, but Tetum-Praca, the structurally simpler and lexically richer verancular of Dili which, during the centuries of Portugese rule, spread from the capital throughout the eastern half of the island as a lingua franca. Although Tetum has no official status today, it is the language in which East Timorese from different regions prefer to communicate, and it remains very much alive in the colonies of East Timorese that have grown up in Australia and Portugal since 1975. Tetum is also widely used by the East Timorese Catholic Church in its worship and everyday dealings with the people, and it is now becoming the vehicle of a modern literature." -- Inside back cover.

"In the island of Timor some twenty languages and dialects are spoken, and the Tetum taught in this book is not the rural or 'classical' variety of the language, but Tetum-Praca, the structurally simpler and lexically richer verancular of Dili which, during the centuries of Portugese rule, spread from the capital throughout the eastern half of the island as a lingua franca. Although Tetum has no official status today, it is the language in which East Timorese from different regions prefer to communicate, and it remains very much alive in the colonies of East Timorese that have grown up in Australia and Portugal since 1975. Tetum is also widely used by the East Timorese Catholic Church in its worship and everyday dealings with the people, and it is now becoming the vehicle of a modern literature." -- Inside back cover.

An essential source of reference for this linguistic community, as well as for linguists working on typology and syntax.

This book provides a comprehensive country overview of Southeast Asia’s newest nation, Timor Leste (East Timor). This book focuses on its cultural and ethno-linguistic diversity, and its political history from the pre-Portuguese period up to 2009. The book pays particular attention to the historical roots of the current challenges to nation-building by reviewing the Indonesian occupation; guerrilla warfare by the Timorese against the occupiers; the politics leading up to the United Nations’ popular consultation and the vote for independence in 2002. Explaining the structure of the government and its parliamentary system, this book highlights the problems and historical and cultural underpinnings of the challenges Timor Leste faces in building a stable viable nation. The author presents a synopsis of selected issues including: language, truth and reconciliation, the Catholic Church’s political activism, internal security problems, the ‘politics of oil’, and the fact that violent conflicts, from 2005 to date, have made it necessary for the United Nation’s peacekeeping forces to return. Thus far, the book argues, Timor Leste’s nation-building efforts have been hampered by the dynamic interaction of number of national and international factors. The first comprehensive political and cultural history of East Timor to date, this book fills a gap and will be an important single reference resource for students and researchers in the field of Southeast Asian Studies, Anthropology and Political Science.

This volume considers a range of ways in which bilingual programs can make a contribution to aspects of human and economic development in the global South. The authors examine the consequences of different policies, programs, and pedagogies for learners and local communities through recent ethnographic research on these topics. The revitalization of minority languages and local cultural practices, management of linguistic and cultural diversity, and promotion of equal opportunities (both social and economic) are all explored in this light.

A collection of essays that examine the historical background to developments in East Timor and provide political analysis on the initial reconstruction stage in the country's transition to independence.

“An absolutely unique work in linguistics publishing – full of beautiful maps and authoritative accounts of well-known and little-known language encounters. Essential reading (and map-viewing) for students of language contact with a global perspective.” Prof. Dr. Martin Haspelmath, Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie The two text volumes cover a large geographical area, including Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia, South -East Asia (Insular and Continental), Oceania, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Mongolia, Central Asia, the Caucasus Area, Siberia, Arctic Areas, Canada, Northwest Coast and Alaska, United States Area, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The Atlas is a detailed, far-reaching handbook of fundamental importance, dealing with a large number of diverse fields of knowledge, with the reported facts based on sound scholarly research and scientific findings, but presented in a form intelligible to non-specialists and educated lay persons in general.