Editing West Timor (section)

=== Languages ===
[[File:Timor languages according to Edwards (2020).pdf|thumb|Languages of Timor]]
[[File:Metos cluster according to Edwards (2020).pdf|left|thumb|Dialects of Uab Meto according to Edwards (2020)]]
In addition to the national language, [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], native languages belonging to the [[Fabronic]] Stock of the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] group of languages (subgroup East Indonesian of the West Austronesian branch) are spoken in West Timor, the others in [[East Timor]]. These languages include [[Uab Meto]], [[Tetum language|Tetum]], [[Ndaonese]], [[Rotinese]] and [[Helong language|Helong]]. Whilst languages of a non-Indonesian type (especially in the east), which are generally categorised as [[Papuan languages]]. Uab Meto, the language of the Atoin Meto, belongs to the West Austronesian languages, as do Tetum and [[Kemak language|Kemak]], while [[Bunak people|Bunak]] is categorised as a Papuan language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/east-nusa-tenggara/west_timor.html|title=West Timor Tourism|website=indonesia-tourism.com}}</ref>[[File:Westtimor Mensch 4.jpg|thumb|Everyday and ritual clothing of the Atoin Meto in Kuan Fatu ([[South Amanuban]]) 1992]]The [[Atoni|Atoin Meto]] (Atoni)  form the dominant population of West Timor. The name Atoin Meto means native or indigenous (indigenous) people (''atoni'', human; ''meto'', internal to the culture, native, therefore not foreign). There are also ethnic names such as ''Atoni Pah Meto'', the "people of the dry land", a choice of name that refers to the settlement area, or simply Meto. In literature, the derogatory foreign names ''Dawan'', ''Orang Gunung'' (mountain people) or Timorese can be found, which can lead to confusion with the inhabitants of independent Timor-Leste. They live in the lower mountainous regions of the hinterland, where they prefer altitudes between 500 m and 1000 m for agricultural reasons, and populate the whole of West Timor, with the exception of the government districts of Belu and Malaka on the border with neighbouring East Timor. The Tetum, [[Bunak people|Bunak]] and [[Kemak people|Kemak]] ethnic groups, the majority of whom otherwise live in East Timor, mainly settle here. The various groups are linked by a wealth of economic and social ties.
In addition, the languages [[Helong language|Helong]] and [[Rote–Meto languages|Rotinese]], which are related to the Atoin Meto language, are spoken in the west of the island. Helong was the original language in Kupang, but has been largely replaced by Bahasa Indonesia and is only spoken in a few villages south of the city along the east coast and on [[Semau Island]]. Rotinese, the language from the island of Roti, is split into many dialects. Rotinese can be found in many regions of West Timor due to the resettlement programme carried out by the Dutch in the 19th century.

Knowledge of Dutch (the colonial language) is now limited to the older generations.