ABSTRACT
This paper reviews some of the rather dramatic changes that are occurring in the vocabulary and grammatical structures of contemporary Taba, an indigenous language spoken on Makian island and in other parts of North Maluku province in Indonesia. The major source for the changes that are currently taking place is North Malukan Malay (NMM), the local lingua franca. The question I wish to answer in this paper is whether or not these changes can be seen as indicative of incipient language death. It is not possible to say whether or not Taba will continue to be spoken into the future for many more years: the speakers of the language will decide for themselves whether or not they continue to transmit the language to future generations. It is clear, though, that Taba discourse patterns are being remodelled to more closely parallel those found in NMM, and that other indigenous laguages of the area also seem to be refashioning themselves in a similar way.
