Helong

Helong is a member of the West Timor group of Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages. It is spoken mainly in West Timor in the Kupang Regency of East Nusa Tenggara province in southern Indonesia. In particular, it is spoken in and around Kupang City and in the villages of Besmarak, Oeletsala and Kolhua on the southwest tip of West Timor, and also on the nearby island of Semau. There are about 14,000 Helong people, although not all of them speak the language as there is a shift to Indonesian and Malay, especially among younger Helong people.

Helong is also known as Helon, Kupang or Semau. Dialects incldude Helong Darat (Funai), which is spoken in and around Kupang City; Helong Pulau (Semau), which is spoken on Semau Island, and Helong Bolok, which is spoken in and around the port of Bolok. It is written with the Latin script, and there is a Helong version of the New Testament.

Helong alphabet and pronunciation

Download an Helong alphabet chart (Excel)

Notes

C, J and W appear in a few loanwords from other languages.
Hyphens are used to connect word endings to word stems.
The glottal stop does not appear to be marked in writing.

Sample text

Ngasar-ngasar bakun na, mama ela deken natun tilu natun kasian au le e,,leol dene lua le tam leol sake la lem au babang nga timbang bali de bali ba li de babang timbang nga bali de, babang timbang timbang bali bali de sung kiuk neon le nini tail kaba le ku but kaim tia, laeng bis lange le ku laeng kaim tia.
Ida I Do And Oke - a traditional song

Source: https://ejurnal.undana.ac.id/AJES/article/view/1268

Sample text

Kon Yesus tek noan, “Banan kon! Kohe-kanas sam not muid nia: Papa! Paap ngala ka niu dui hihidi. Nang le totoang atuli li nikit sakeng Paap ngala man muun dudui ka lapa-lapa! Nang le Paap daid Laih taung totoang atuli lia!
Paap tulung bel kaim hnaad in kaa nola, se lelo-lelon.
Kaim nodan Paap le nadidingun soleng kaim in kula-sala ngas, banansila el kaim kon nadidingun atuli li in tao kula saol kami ngas. Paap doh kaim le halin nam kaim daek dadaat deken.”

(The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4)

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/3396/LUK.11.KAJ

Translation (English)

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample videos in and about Helong

Information about Helong | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Helong
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helong_language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helong_people
http://www.language-archives.org/language/heg
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323314808_Helong_Language_in_West_Kupang_District_
Kupang_Regency_East_Nusa_Tenggara_is_Shifting_Towards_Death
https://helong.wordpress.com/about/
https://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1747
https://evols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/302c7044-fa89-4bcf-86a2-16c612c2dbf7

Timoric languages

Amarasi, Dawan, Galoli, Helong, Tetum, Tii, Western Rote

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 04.07.24. Last modified: 04.07.24

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