"In the island of Timor some twenty languages and dialects are spoken, and the Tetum taught in this book is not the rural or 'classical' variety of the language, but Tetum-Praca, the structurally simpler and lexically richer verancular of Dili which, during the centuries of Portugese rule, spread from the capital throughout the eastern half of the island as a lingua franca. Although Tetum has no official status today, it is the language in which East Timorese from different regions prefer to communicate, and it remains very much alive in the colonies of East Timorese that have grown up in Australia and Portugal since 1975. Tetum is also widely used by the East Timorese Catholic Church in its worship and everyday dealings with the people, and it is now becoming the vehicle of a modern literature." -- Inside back cover.