Figure 10. Reported Dobu ability in mountain and coast areas
. Interpretation of Results
Because the scores in the SEQ are self-reported and people seemed to have a tendency to overestimate their language proficiency, some spread in the scores is expected, even among people who have the same
amount of contact with the second language. The spread for the English scores is generally lower because there is a smaller range of English
proficiency in the area; 90 percent of the population scored in levels 0 through 2. Education is clearly the most important factor affecting English proficiency, since individuals with no education consistently
scored at level 0 regardless of sex, age, or region. Demographic categories with a lower spread in English scores are therefore probably the groups with less education.
The amount of time spent in Dobu-speaking areas is probably the factor most closely related to proficiency in Dobu, and people that are closer to the Dobu language area spend more time there.
Coastal people have easier access to Dobu areas and they are slightly more proficient in Dobu. People in the Galeya dialect region, which borders the Dobu area, are more proficient than people in the other two
regions. Men are also more proficient in Dobu than women, probably because they travel to Dobu- speaking areas more often. Age also is a factor in Dobu proficiency; older people tend to be more
proficient in Dobu.
Other factors affecting Dobu proficiency include studying in Dobu school which some of the older people have done, having Dobu-speaking relatives, having spent time living in Dobu-speaking areas, and
listening to Dobu used in religious meetings. Individuals in these categories were neither isolated nor excluded from the sampling frame. Therefore, these people with a lot of contact with Dobu can probably
be found in every demographic category, which may account for the high spread of Dobu scores.
The population as a whole is more proficient in Dobu than in English. The majority of the population has proficiency below level 3 in both English 90 percent and Dobu 54 percent, and so it seems
unlikely that many people would be able to understand literature in those languages at a high level.
3.6 Summary of language vitality
Both the reported data and the observed language use data indicate that the Galeya, Basima, Ulua, and Gameta dialects are vital. Each of these dialects is the dominant language in its respective area and will
probably continue to be used inside and outside the home in the foreseeable future. Even though there is some mixing of Dobu with the dialects, especially the Galeya dialect, the local dialects are valued and
they are the primary language varieties in their areas. Although primary education takes place in
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
1 2
3 4
5
Score P
e rc
e n
ta g
e o
f R e
s p
o n
d e
n ts
Mountain 117 respondents Coastal 178 respondents
English, the vernacular is used for elementary education, and the vernacular is reportedly used along with Dobu during church services. The massive language change that Lithgow 1992 observed in the
Galeya dialect in its borrowing of Dobu vocabulary does not seem to be continuing.
4 Education
In addition to gathering information regarding dialect boundaries and language vitality, the survey team gathered information about education, to determine the extent that the Galeya people would likely be
able to participate in the development of their language. Information in this section was collected in group interviews with village residents and in interviews with individual school teachers and
administrators.
4.1 Adult education levels
Most adults between the ages of fifteen and thirty in the survey area have completed grade six. Some people in this age group left school before completing grade six, but it was virtually impossible to find
men and women in this age category who had received no education at all. In most larger
69
villages visited, there were at least one or two people who had gone beyond grade six to complete grades eight
or ten, but these people were clearly the exception. The level of education of those living by the coast was higher than that of those living inland in the mountains, but there appeared to be no sharp contrast
between the levels of education of men and women in this age group.
Most of the adults between the ages of thirty and forty-five have completed grade six. However, fewer people in this middle group have completed grade six than in the younger age group, and many
more people in the middle group have not received any schooling at all. Once again, in larger villages it was possible to find one or two adults of this age who have completed grades eight or ten.
In general, the older adults those over forty-five are less educated than people forty-five years old and under. There are scattered cases of both older men and women who have completed grade six, but
the vast majority either left school before completing grade six or, most commonly, never attended school. Some older people attended Dobu schools for a few years.
4.2 Literacy levels
