The Sequencing of Local Language & National Language Translations: Why Vernacular Scriptures Are Not Being Used—A Pilot Study Focused on Sulawesi

Around the globe, in a disconcerting number of minority language communities, there are reports of vernacular language Bibles not being used. The primary research question of this paper is, Do vernacular Scriptures become the/a normative text for public reading in public worship after national language Scriptures have filled that role? Sulawesi, Indonesia, was chosen as the area for this pilot study as it is a region where a considerable number of vernacular Scriptures are now available, and the majority of minority peoples were already literate in a national language – in this case, Indonesian (Valkama 1987). Four probes were used: (1) Observation, (2) Questionnaires (2) Recordings of worship services and (4) Scripture Photography Tool. Probes one through three found that overall, vernacular Scripture use in the languages studied occurs 7% of the time. The Scripture photography tool showed the average Indonesian Bible was well used, while the average vernacular Bible was unused. Vernacular Bibles were used more in formal services, and less in home meetings. Oral/electronic vernacular was used less than the printed Bible. High language vitality did not correlate with high use of vernacular language materials. Instead, vernacular Scripture reading occurs mainly to conform to Synod rules. Historical data shows L2 scripture has replaced L1 scripture in a number of these cases, while there were no cases of vernacular replacing the majority language and becoming the/a normative text for public reading in public worship. The sequencing of translation appears to be a factor in vernacular scripture use in Sulawesi.