Ternateno as a Portuguese Creole: A History and Sociolinguistic Study in Ternate
Abstract
This article discusses Ternateno, a Portuguese-based creole language that developed in Ternate, North Maluku, through sustained language contact since the sixteenth century. It analyzes the creolization process, the social functions of Ternateno as a postcolonial minority language, and the ongoing language shift within its speech community. Ternateno blends Portuguese-derived vocabulary with structural influences from Malay and Ternate and functions as an identity marker for Portuguese-descendant Catholic communities. Today, the language faces serious endangerment due to declining numbers of active speakers and weakening intergenerational transmission under the dominance of Indonesian and Ternate Malay. The study aims to trace the historical creolization process, explain Ternateno’s social and symbolic roles, and evaluate current patterns of language shift. A qualitative historical-sociolinguistic design was applied using triangulated data from in-depth interviews, participant observation, and analysis of colonial and missionary documents. Participants included 15 active speakers aged 50–74 selected through purposive sampling. Findings show that Ternateno emerged from prolonged multilingual contact, retaining significant Portuguese lexicon with phonological and semantic adaptations. Its present use is largely limited to domestic, cultural, and liturgical domains. Younger generations rarely speak it, favoring Indonesian and Ternate Malay. Based on vitality indicators, Ternateno is classified as severely endangered, highlighting the urgent need for documentation and community-based revitalization efforts.
Keywords: Ternateno; Creole language; Portuguese; language shift; North Maluku
ABSTRAK
Artikel ini membincangkan Ternateno, sebuah bahasa kreol berasaskan Portugis yang berkembang di Ternate, Maluku Utara, melalui pertembungan bahasa yang berterusan sejak abad keenam belas. Kajian ini menganalisis proses kreolisasi, fungsi sosial Ternateno sebagai bahasa minoriti pascakolonial, serta peralihan bahasa yang sedang berlaku dalam komuniti penuturnya. Ternateno menggabungkan kosa kata berasaskan Portugis dengan pengaruh struktur daripada Melayu dan Ternate, serta berfungsi sebagai penanda identiti bagi komuniti Katolik keturunan Portugis.Pada masa kini, bahasa ini menghadapi ancaman kepupusan yang serius disebabkan oleh penurunan bilangan penutur aktif dan lemahnya penyaluran antara generasi di bawah dominasi bahasa Indonesia dan Melayu Ternate. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menjejaki proses sejarah kreolisasi, menjelaskan peranan sosial dan simbolik Ternateno, serta menilai corak peralihan bahasa semasa. Reka bentuk kajian sejarah-sosiolinguistik kualitatif digunakan dengan triangulasi data melalui temu bual mendalam, pemerhatian peserta, dan analisis dokumen kolonial dan mubaligh. Penyelidik melibatkan 15 penutur aktif berumur 50–74 tahun yang dipilih melalui pensampelan bertujuan.Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa Ternateno muncul daripada pertembungan multibahasa yang berpanjangan, mengekalkan sebahagian besar leksikal Portugis dengan adaptasi fonologi dan semantik. Penggunaannya kini terhad kepada domain domestik, budaya, dan upacara. Generasi muda jarang menggunakan bahasa ini, sebaliknya lebih cenderung menggunakan bahasa Indonesia dan Melayu Ternate. Berdasarkan penunjuk vitaliti, Ternateno diklasifikasikan sebagai sangat terancam, menekankan keperluan mendesak untuk dokumentasi dan usaha pemulihan berasaskan komuniti.
Kata Kunci: Ternateno; bahasa kreol; Portugis; peralihan bahasa; Maluku Utara
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