Saparua is an Austronesian language spoken in Maluku of eastern Indonesia. Dialects are diverse, and Latu might be included as one. Saparua is currently spoken by around 1,500 people, and it is threatened by extinction. According to a researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency, Khairunnisa, stated that this is caused by the influences of Dutch colonialism, the sectarian conflict, migration, globalization, and the duty to speak Indonesian.

Phonology

Consonants
LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Nasalmn
Plosive/ Affricatevoicelessptk(ʔ)
voicedbdɡ
Fricativesh
Rhoticr
Laterall
Approximantwj

[ʔ] only appears when within the sequence of vowels.

Vowels
FrontCentralBack
Closeiu
Close-mideəo
Open-midɛɔ
Opena