Twenty dialects in C. Sulawesi

PALU, Central Sulawesi: Researchers here have recently discovered 20 widely spoken dialects in five districts in the province.

Head of the six-month research project, Abdillah Abdul Rahim, said here yesterday that the dialects are spoken mostly in the districts of Donggala, Buol Toli-toli, Poso, Banggai and Palu.

As reported by Antara, Donggala is among several districts that have at least nine dialects, including the widely used Kaili, Balaesang and Tomini.

Poso district has five dialects, namely the Pamona, Mori, Bungku, Bada and Nupu, while Buol Toli-toli has three, namely Buol, Totoli and Dondo.

Banggai district has three: Balantak, Saluan, and Banggai. Palu generally uses Kaili.

According to Rahim, researchers found that many of the younger generation in the area no longer speak these dialects since many families now use Indonesian.

Rahim suggested that these dialects be included in the local school curriculum so they can be preserved.