The Papuan languages of Timor

This article examines the non-Austronesian languages of Timor. Four vernaculars spoken in the Democratic Republic of East Timor (with two of them overlapping into small areas of the Indonesian provinces of Nusa Tenggara Timur and Maluku respectively) are non-Austronesian in origin. These languages are found in parts of central and eastern Timor, and on the small island of Kisar, lying 25 kilometres off the north-eastern coast near Lautém. Their indigenous names and the names established for them in the English-medium literature on Timor are the following: Native name - fatalukunu, English name – Fataluku, Native name - makalero, English name – Makalero, Native name - makesae, English name – Makasai, Native name – gai’, English name – Bunak