Hawu language
| Hawu | |
|---|---|
| Sabu | |
| Pronunciation | [ˈhavu] |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Lesser Sunda Islands |
Native speakers | (100,000 cited 1997) |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | hvn |
| Glottolog | sabu1255 |
| ELP | Hawu |
The Hawu language (Hawu: Lii Hawu) is the language of the Savu people of Savu Island in Indonesia and of Raijua Island off the western tip of Savu. Hawu has been referred to by a variety of names such as Havu, Savu, Sabu, Sawu, and is known to outsiders as Savu or Sabu (thus Havunese, Savunese, Sawunese). Hawu belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, and is most closely related to Dhao (spoken on Rote) and the languages of Sumba. Dhao was once considered a dialect of Hawu, but the two languages are not mutually intelligible.