Bunak is a member of the West Bomberai branch of the Timor-Alor-Pantar group of Trans-New Guinea languages. It is spoken by about 80,000 people in the centre of Timor Island. There are about 50,000 Bunak speakers in west of East Timor, particularly in the municipalities of Bobanaro, Cova Lima, Ainaro and Manufahi. There are another 30,000 speakers in the Belu Regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia, particularly in Lamaknen and nearby villages.
Bunak is also known as Bunaq, Buna', Bunä, Buna or Marae. Some speakers call themselves Gaiq or Gaeq. Dialects include Southwest, Lamaknen, Northeast, Ainaro and Manufahi.
There are several ways to write Bunak with the Latin alphabet, which were developed by the Dutch and Portuguese.
Download an alphabet chart for Bunak (Excel)
Nei nie Ama pan-esen gene; I inil hatetu gie; I ie bein hini man gie; I ie hakara dari mal, hoe muk wa gene pan-esen gene goet.
I mete nei nege bai-a leai-leai gie. Nei nie sal hege perdue, nuu nei en nei nasusar gege perdue goet. Hani manupinu mil ata nei nata-ma; mais late go nei nosoli. Amen.
Information about Bunak | Numbers
Information about the Bunak languages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunak_language
https://sites.google.com/site/newguineaworld/families/trans-new-guinea/berau-gulf/west-bomberai/timor-alor-pantar/bunaq
https://www.academia.edu/1710171/Bunaq_typological_treats
Bunaq : a Papuan language of central Timor (a PhD thesis by Antionette Schapper)
Abui, Bunak Fataluku, Makalero
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page created: 28.03.23. Last modified: 24.07.24
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