Patterns of address in Dili Tetum, East Timor

This article focuses on a detailed description of patterns of address in Dili Tetum today. It outlines the complexities of the address system and points to considerable variation in its evolving present-day use. We find, amongst other things, that a speaker may use a range of address strategies even to the same addressee, and that the use of polite pronouns Ita and Ita-Boot appears to be spreading as the language extends into new domains not previously available to it. Copyright 2006 Catharina Williams-van Klinken and John Hajek. No part of this article may be reproduced by any means without the written consent of the publisher.