Taliabo language

Taliabo
Taliabu
Native toIndonesia, North Maluku
RegionTaliabu Island
Native speakers
(4,900 cited 2000)
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
tlv – Taliabo
kzd – Kadai
Glottologtali1261
ELPKadai

Taliabo (Taliabu) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken on the island of the same name in the Moluccas of Indonesia.

Dialects are:

  • Kadai
  • Padang (Samala)
  • Mananga
  • Mangei (Soboyo)

There are two linguistic strata in Taliabo, Central Maluku and Celebic, and it is not yet clear which group it belongs to, though Glottolog classifies it as Celebic.

The Soboyo dialect of Taliabo is notable for preserving Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *h, but only in word-initial position.