Languages of Papua New Guinea


Papua New Guinea, a sovereign state in Oceania, is the most linguistically diverse country in the world. Ethnologue, among other sources, state that there are 840 living languages spoken in the country, although estimates vary due to the distinction between a language and a dialect. In 2006, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare stated that "Papua New Guinea has 832 living languages." 25 of those languages are officially recognized, with the country's lingua franca being Tok Pisin, an English-based creole.
Most of these are classified as indigenous Papuan languages, which form a diverse sprachbund across the island of New Guinea. There are also many Austronesian languages spoken in Papua New Guinea, most of which are classified as Western Oceanic languages, as well as some Admiralty Islands languages and Polynesian Ellicean–Outlier languages in a few outer islands. Since the late 19th century, West Germanic languages — namely English and German — have also been spoken and adapted into creoles such as Tok Pisin, Torres Strait Creole and Unserdeutsch.
Languages with statutory recognition are Tok Pisin, English, Hiri Motu, and Papua New Guinean Sign Language. Papua New Guinean Sign Language became the fourth officially recognised language in May 2015, and is used by the deaf population throughout the country.

Languages

English

English is a language of Papua New Guinea and is used by the government, courts, and the education system. Although no official data in the last decade is easily available, the 2011 census states that 39.9% of the population was literate in English.

German

From 1884 to 1914, the northern half of the present-day country was a German colony known as German New Guinea, in which German was the official language. Tok Pisin derives some vocabulary from German as a result of this influence. Today however, German is not a generally spoken language in Papua New Guinea.

Unserdeutsch

Unserdeutsch, or Rabaul Creole German, is a German-based creole language spoken mainly in East New Britain Province. The lexicon is derived from German, while the substrate language is Tok Pisin.

Tok Pisin

Tok Pisin is an English-based creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in the country. In parts of Western, Gulf, Central, Oro and Milne Bay provinces, however, the use of Tok Pisin has a shorter history, and is less universal especially among older people. In the 2011 census, 68.4% of the population were literate in Tok Pisin.

Hiri Motu

Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a simplified version of the Motu language of the Austronesian language family. In the 2011 census, 4.7% of the population were literate in Hiri Motu.

Papuan languages

Outside Papua New Guinea, Papuan languages that are also spoken include the languages of Indonesia, East Timor, and Solomon Islands.
Below is a full list of Papuan language families spoken in Papua New Guinea, following Palmer, et al. :
  1. Trans-New Guinea
  2. #Madang
  3. #Finisterre-Huon
  4. #Kainantu-Goroka
  5. #Chimbu-Wahgi
  6. #Enga-Kewa-Huli
  7. #Bosavi
  8. #East Strickland
  9. #Kutubu
  10. #Duna-Bogaya
  11. #Wiru
  12. #Ok-Oksapmin
  13. #Anim
  14. #Gogodala-Suki
  15. #Turama-Kikori
  16. #Kiwaian
  17. #Awin-Pa
  18. #Angan
  19. #Greater Binanderean
  20. #Dagan
  21. #Mailuan
  22. #Koiarian
  23. #Goilalan
  24. #Yareban
  25. #Kwalean
  26. #Manubaran
  27. Torricelli
  28. Sepik
  29. Lower Sepik-Ramu
  30. Border
  31. Sko
  32. Eastern Pauwasi
  33. Senagi
  34. Kwomtari
  35. Leonhard Schultze
  36. Upper Yuat
  37. Yuat
  38. Left May
  39. Amto-Musan
  40. Busa
  41. Taiap
  42. Yadë
  43. Yam
  44. Pahoturi River
  45. Eleman
  46. Oriomo
  47. Teberan
  48. Doso-Turumsa
  49. Dibiyaso
  50. Kaki Ae
  51. Kamula
  52. Karami
  53. Pawaia
  54. Porome
  55. Purari
  56. Tabo
  57. Baining
  58. North Bougainville
  59. South Bougainville
  60. Butam-Taulil
  61. Anêm
  62. Ata
  63. Kol
  64. Kuot
  65. Makolkol
  66. Sulka
  67. ''Yélî Dnye''

Austronesian languages

People speaking languages belonging to the Austronesian family arrived in New Guinea approximately 3,500 years ago.
All the Austronesian languages spoken in Papua New Guinea belong to its Oceanic subgroup. More precisely, these languages belong to four branches of Oceanic:

Papua New Guinean Sign Language

PNGSL is an official language of Papua New Guinea; it is based on Auslan and various home sign forms.

Literacy

In 2011, 67.6% of the population of Papua New Guinea over 10 years of age were literate.