Kao is a

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

in the

non-Austronesian languages The Papuan languages are the non- Austronesian and non- Australian languages spoken on the western Pacific island of New Guinea in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, as well as neighbouring islands, by around 4 million people. It is a strictly geogr ...

which is categorized as a

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

. This language is spoken in

North Halmahera Regency North Halmahera Regency ( id, Kabupaten Halmahera Utara) is a regency (on Halmahera Island) of North Maluku Province, Indonesia. It was declared a Regency on 31 May 2003. The capital town of the regency lies at the port of Tobelo. The Regency, whi ...

North Maluku North Maluku ( id, Maluku Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the south. ...

. The last survey in 2008 conducted by the Research Team from the Faculty of Letters and Culture Khairun University stated, Kao language is only used in the family realm by those over 40 years of age. In traditional, social or daily events, or religious ceremonies, the Kao language is no longer used.

History and spread

The Kao language was born from the long history of the Kao people in the field of commerce. The opening of cultural influences brought by immigrants gave birth to acculturation and inculturation in accordance with values that are considered noble by society. One of the products of that is language. However, as time progresses, various movements made by the Kao people to meet their needs also influenced the use of language. Currently, the Kao language lives among speakers of Ternate Malay and is threatened by the hegemony of immigrants. However, this preservation effort is still carried out by performing arts, for example the ''Gala Kao'' which is carried out by playing Kao-language rhymes. Even though it is no longer used in daily life, the people of Kao still recognize that this language is their native language. The current distribution of the Kao language is in the interior of North Halmahera, the mouth of the Kao River, and the Kao capital area (Kao District).

Language speakers

Judging from the speakers, it is known that the older the

speakers Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of a language, the more fluent the language is. Here are the age ranges of Kao speakers. # 60 and over: very fluent, understand complex old words. # 50–59 years: fluent, does not understand complex vocabulary. # 40–49 years: not fluent, They understand and communicate in Kao quite fluently.

References

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History and spread

Language speakers

References

Further reading