DILI, 02 september 2022 (TATOLI) – Center for the Study of Culture and the Arts (CECA) of the National University of Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL) introduced the dictionary ‘Bunak Manufahi-Tetun (Buna Manoi-Mumut).
The dictionary was introduced by the authors Vicente Paulino and Rosa da Costa Tilman at Liceu Dili.
Author Vicente Paulino said that the dictionary was writing related to the need to preserve one of the mother tongues, which has long been threatened with extinction, adding that the work could serve as a reference for other Timorese who wish to focus on another Timorese dialect.
“We are native speakers and, therefore, we have a moral obligation to develop a bunak dictionary to preserve the language and leave a legacy for new generations,” Vicente Paulino explained to Tatoli, in Liceu, Dili.
The teacher also added that this dictionary is a pioneer, adding that the writing of other versions of bunak from the municipalities of Covalima, Bobonaro, and Ainaro is developing.
“We are conducting a survey of the Bunak language in other municipalities to find out its dialectical structure. Hopefully this year we can launch another dictionary,” he said.
In this regard, author Rosa da Costa Tilman also highlights that the dictionary contributes to the fact that speakers of other languages can also contact the Bunak language. Furthermore, he considered that “this dictionary is an academic reference for students”.
The linguistic revision of this work took three years to write and was completed by linguist Adérito Correia.
According to the author, “this edition is a preliminary, an early work, far from perfect, partly due to limited resources”. However, he assured that in “the next issue the error will be corrected”
Journalist: Afonso
Editor: Maria Auxiliadora/Nelia B.
Translation: Jose De Sa
