Gorontalo language

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The Gorontalo language (also called Hulontalo) is a language spoken in Gorontalo Province, Sulawesi, Indonesia by the Gorontalo people.^[2] With around one million speakers (2000 census), it is a major language of northern Sulawesi.^[3]

Considerable lexical influence comes from Malay, Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch,^[4] and the North Halmahera languages.^[4][5] The Gorontalo region used to be controlled by the Sultanate of Ternate.^[4] Manado Malay and Indonesian are also spoken in the area.^[4][6] Despite its relatively large number of speakers, Gorontalo is under much pressure from Malay varieties, especially in urban settings.^[3]

Sizable Gorontalo communities can be found in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, as well as Jakarta.^[4]