Alternate Names: Buton, Tukang-Besi, Wakatobi
Dialects: Binongko, Bonerate, Tomea (Tomia). Lexical similarity: 70%–75% with Tukang Besi North ,, 48% with Cia-Cia ,, 49% with Lasalimu ,, average of 35% with other nearby languages. Lexical similarity 85% with Binongko and Tomea, 81% with Bonerate, 79% with Tomea and Bonerate.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 130,000 (1995 SIL), increasing. 100,000 in Maluku.
Language Use: Vigorous. All ages, even in communities away from the main islands. Also use Wolio [wlo]. Used as L2 by Kumbewaha [xks].
Language Development: Grammar.
Typology: Pronominal indexing; grammatical status of subject; morphological case; causative; Philippine and Oceanic type language features.
Nation of Origin: Indonesia
Other Comments: Muslim.