This publication is the first outcome of the cooperative at­ tempts between the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) and the University of Hasanuddin (UNHAS) to study the languages of South and Central Sulawesi.From this book it is apparent that there are many languages and dialects in Central Sulawesi. These languages and dialects reflect the diverse elements of Indonesian culture that need to be studied and preserved for the development of the Indonesian national culture. The development of bahasa Indonesia, both as a national language and as a scientific language, will gain greatly from the study of the languages and dialects of the entire Archi­pelago. There are indications that these languages and dialects will disappear from daily usage, owing to the inevitable rapid dissemination of the constitutionally prescribed national language The documentation of these languages and dialects, therefore, is very important and needs instant action.It can be said, in fact, that the study of the languages and dialects in this Archipelago cannot be separated from the implementation of the Three Main Functions of the Indonesian Universities (Tridharma Universitas) and the implementation of the Third Five-Year Development Plan (Rencana Pembangunan Lima Tahun III) which is presently being carried out by the Government of Indonesia.