Bintulu
Classification: Austronesian
·vulnerable
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Vulnerable
100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
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1,000-9,999
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16,156
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Population numbers are hard to pin down. Bintulu speakers are grouped under the umbrella term "Melanau" in official census data. Most sources list 4,200 as the number of speakers.
- DATE OF INFO
- 2000
- DOMAINS OF USE
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- SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
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- TRANSMISSION
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- MORE ON VITALITY
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The language is generally strong. Children learn the language and use it at home and with other Bintulu speakers. The social situation however, may be shifting against Bintulu. Malay is by far the main langauge of use in the town of Bintulu. Bintulu is spoken by a very small population that is almost entirely bilingual in Malay.
- SPEAKER ATTITUDE
- Positive attitudes
- GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
- Not an official language. Not used at any level of government
- OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
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Nearly the entire community is bilingual in Bintulu and Malay. A large portion also use English.
- LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS
Twenty years ago Bintulu was a small fishing town. Today, it is a quickly developing industrial center for oil and gas production.
- PLACES
- Malaysia
- LOCATION DESCRIPTION
In and around the town of Bintulu, in the province of Sarawak on the Island of Borneo. Bintulu is located at the mouth of the Kemena River. Spoken in the following villages around urban Bintulu: Kampong Masjid, Kampong Sinong, Kampong Datuk, Kampong Sibiew, Kampong Baru, Kampong Jepak, KampongSebuan, Kampong Batu Sepuluh, and Kidurung