Study on the Evolution of Language Planning and Motivation in East Timor

东帝汶语言规划演变及动因研究

As the geographic border between Southeast Asia and Australia, and the transition region between South Island and Trans-New Guinea, the language ecology of Timor-Leste is characterized by a complex mix of indigenous language survival and colonial language iteration. This paper reconstructs the evolutionary path of language planning in Timor-Leste from a diachronic perspective: under five centuries of Portuguese colonial rule, the Portuguese language became the carrier of power discourse through institutional promotion; the mandatory Indonesian language policy implemented during the Indonesian occupation in 1975 formed a deconstructive tension of linguistic identity; and the constitutional establishment of the dual official language system of Portuguese and Tetum in the post-independence period in 2002 marked the reconstruction of language order in the post-colonial context. The establishment of the dual official language system of Portuguese and Tetum in the post-independence constitution in 2002 marked the reconstruction of language order in the post-colonial context. Based on the analytical framework of language contact theory and sociolinguistics, this study systematically examines the power game mechanism in the change of language policy in the country, and reveals the inter-constructive relationship between colonial legacy, the construction of national identity, and socio-cultural reproduction. By deconstructing the multidimensional dynamics of language planning in different historical stages, the study focuses on the dominant role of socio-cultural variables in the shaping of language policy in Timor-Leste.

东帝汶作为东南亚与澳大利亚地理交界处及南岛语系-跨新几内亚语系过渡区域，其语言生态呈现土著语言存续与殖民语言迭代的复杂特征。本文以历时性视角重构东帝汶语言规划的演化路径：在长达五个世纪的葡萄牙殖民统治下，葡语通过制度性推广成为权力话语载体；1975 年印尼占领时期推行的强制性印尼语政策，形成了语言身份的解构性张力；2002 年独立后宪法确立葡语与德顿语的双官方语言体系，标志着后殖民语境下的语言秩序重构。基于语言接触理论与社会语言学分析框架，本研究系统考察该国语言政策变迁中的权力博弈机制，揭示殖民遗产、国家认同建构与社会文化再生产三者的互构关系。通过解构不同历史阶段语言规划的多维动因，重点论证东帝汶社会文化变量在语言政策形塑中的主导作用。