BAHASA DAN IDENTITAS LUWU: DARI PERSPEKTIF VITALITAS, PEMAHAMAN DIALEK DAN MORFOLOGI = LUWU LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY: PERSPECTIVES OF VITALITY, DIALECT INTELLIGIBILITY AND MORPHOLOGY

EMILY ROSE LOGAN. Luwu Language and Identity: Perspectives of Vitality, Dialect Intelligibility and Morphology (supervised by H. Hamzah A. Machmoed, Akin Duli and Ikhwan M. Said). The Luwu' language of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, has a rich and fascinating history. This study examines the relationship between the Luwu' language and identity from multiple perspectives to provide a nuanced picture of the current state of the Luwu' language. Surveys on language use and attitudes towards language were coupled with recorded text testing in two Luwu' speech varieties to determine actual comprehension rates between the dialects, and subjective views on dialect boundaries and a broader Luwu identity. In addition, two morphological features, the -um- infix and emphasis for intensity in stative verbs, were analysed and discussed in terms of their relationship to surrounding languages, showing the complexity of questions of identity and uniqueness in the broader language family. Finally, the effect of learning Luwu' on the researcher’s identity, in particular on the research process and the identity of the researcher, is considered. Results show that high levels of contact between the two speech varieties has led to high comprehension rates between the two, which is in accord with subjective attitudes to an ethnolinguistic identity that encompasses both speech varieties. While the -um- infix is largely fading out of use in surrounding languages, the morphological process adding emphasis for intensity is still practised in a few closely related neighbouring languages. Learning Luwu' aided greatly in discovering these features and in the collection and processing of data. This study calls for the development of Luwu' media to promote and encourage a strong connection between Luwu' language and identity into the future.

Keyword : Bahasa Luwu', Bahasa Tae', ethnolinguistic vitality, RTT, -um- infix, researcher identity.