DATE=7/7/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=TIMOR - LANGUAGE IDENTITY
NUMBER=5-46625
BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: It's been almost a year since the East Timorese
voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia -
- thus marking its entry into the international
community as one of the smallest and poorest countries
in Southeast Asia. Leaders of the country, which has
never governed itself, are working to write a
constitution and form a government for the day in the
not too distant future when the United Nations ceases
to administer East Timor. Beyond issues of governance,
Timor must also create a new national identity -
including a decision on which language its people
should speak. Patricia Nunan brings us a closer look.
TEXT:
/// MARKET SOUNDS ACT. ESTABLISH, FADE UNDER ///
The chatter at Dili's central marketplace is in Tetum
- a local dialect spoken by the vast majority of East
Timorese. In some ways Tetum is representative of
East Timor's history. Roughly half the vocabulary is
Portuguese, while the grammar structure most closely
resembles that of Indonesia's national language Bohasa
-- both reminders of colonial powers that East Timor
fought for decades to escape.
In the seven months since East Timor won its
independence from Indonesia, four national languages
have been considered: Tetum, Bohasa, Portuguese and
English.
East Timor's government-in-waiting, the National
Resistance Council has already laid down the rules. In
deference to the Church in predominantly Catholic East
Timor, Portuguese has been declared the "official
language" -- while Tetum stands a shade-of-grey away
as the "national language." English -- the language of
international trade -- comes in third, as the foreign
language students should be expected to learn.
Off the list entirely is Indonesia's language, Bohasa.
Timorese independence leader Jose Ramos Horta
explains:
/// HORTA ACT ///
Bohasa Indonesia is an alien language imposed on Timor
with a genocide on its back, on its record. Those
Timorese students who studied the Indonesian
language, they should not fear because they also have
Tetum. Bohasa Indonesia is a foreign language to them,
like it could be French. It could be German. They
speak Indonesian that's fine. But they must speak
Tetum if they don't want to speak Portuguese.
/// END ACT ///
But debate continues, particularly between Timor's
generations. During Indonesia's 24-year rule of East
Timor the language of the classroom had been Bohasa.
So the country's young people have fluency in the
Indonesian language and no memory of Portuguese rule
and therefore no sentimental attachment to the
Portuguese language like that of East Timor's middle-
aged political leaders.
The business community wants English to facilitate
trade. Eusebio Guterres is an East Timor labor
organizer.
/// GUTERRES ACT ///
When you go to Portugal, we can talk English, we go to
Malaysia, we go to Indonesia, we can talk in English.
And Portuguese? We go to Australia, we cannot speak it
-- Portuguese.
/// END ACT ///
The need for a single unifying language is obvious.
International donors and aid groups can operate in 3-4
different languages to accomplish some of the most
basic tasks. But when they leave, it may be more
difficult. Lucy Oh is from the World Bank.
/// OH ACT ///
The World Bank team has been pretty good in that the
working languages are usually 3-4 different languages
since a lot of people at the World Bank speak
different languages -- Portuguese, Bohasa Indonesia
and also some people that speak Tetum on our
projects. . And we try to make sure we translate all
our public documents into many languages just so
people have a clear understanding about what's going
on here.
/// END ACT ///
/// UPSOT -- MONEY TRADER / MARKET SOUNDS ///
Language isn't the only area where East Timor is
trying to find its identity. At market places, shops
and restaurants the US Dollar, the Australian Dollar
and the Indonesian Rupiah crowd and confuse every
money box and cash register. The US Dollar has been
named the "official" currency -- at least until East
Timor's leaders determine whether they will create
banknotes of their own.
East Timor's first months of freedom so far have been
a series of experiments in creating a new national
identity for the day it becomes fully independent.
(signed)
NEB/HK/PN/JO/PLM
07-Jul-2000 05:35 AM EDT (07-Jul-2000 0935 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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