Motu language
Encyclopedia
Motu is one of many Central Papuan Tip languages
, and is spoken by the Motuan
s, native inhabitants of Papua New Guinea
. It is still commonly used today in the region, particularly around the capital, Port Moresby
.
A simplified form of Motu developed as a trade language in the Papuan region, in the South-East of the main island of New Guinea
, originally known as Police Motu, and today known as Hiri Motu
. After Tok Pisin
and English
, Hiri Motu was at the time of independence the third most commonly spoken of the more than 800 languages of Papua New Guinea
, although its use has been declining for some years, mainly in favour of Tok Pisin.
Motu is classified as one of the Malayo-Polynesian languages
, and bears some linguistic similarities to both the Polynesian languages
and Micronesian languages
.
Motu itself is a language that is heavily vowel-based. Most words have as many vowels as consonants, and a significant number of words have more vowels than consonants. However since there are only five vowel sounds, it is relatively easy to enunciate (compared to English). The many diphthongs are simply combinations of the basic vowels. There are only sixteen consonants, only one of which is foreign to English. These are b, d, g, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and the velar fricative
usually written as . All are pronounced approximately as in English except r, which is a "flipped" r (ɹ), and the velar fricative. The letter "w" is used only in combination with "g" or "k" as "gw" or "kw", never alone.
Central Papuan Tip languages
The family of Central Papuan Tip languages is a subgroup of the Peripheral Papuan Tip languages. It consists of 14 languages.-Languages:*Oumic languages: Magoric languages , Ouma...
, and is spoken by the Motuan
Motuan
The Motuans are native inhabitants of Papua New Guinea, living along the southern coastal area of the country. Their indigenous language is known as Motu, and they are believed to be the descendants of Polynesian immigrants who intermarried with the native Melanesians of the area...
s, native inhabitants of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. It is still commonly used today in the region, particularly around the capital, Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
.
A simplified form of Motu developed as a trade language in the Papuan region, in the South-East of the main island of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, originally known as Police Motu, and today known as Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu language
Hiri Motu, is an official language of Papua New Guinea. It is a simplified version of Motu and although it is strictly neither a pidgin nor a creole it possesses some features of both language types...
. After Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin
Tok Pisin is a creole spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in that country...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Hiri Motu was at the time of independence the third most commonly spoken of the more than 800 languages of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, although its use has been declining for some years, mainly in favour of Tok Pisin.
Motu is classified as one of the Malayo-Polynesian languages
Malayo-Polynesian languages
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...
, and bears some linguistic similarities to both the Polynesian languages
Polynesian languages
The Polynesian languages are a language family spoken in the region known as Polynesia. They are classified as part of the Austronesian family, belonging to the Oceanic branch of that family. They fall into two branches: Tongic and Nuclear Polynesian. Polynesians share many cultural traits...
and Micronesian languages
Micronesian languages
The family of Micronesian languages is a branch of the Oceanic languages. It consists of twenty languages, the nineteen Micronesian Proper languages and Nauruan...
.
Motu itself is a language that is heavily vowel-based. Most words have as many vowels as consonants, and a significant number of words have more vowels than consonants. However since there are only five vowel sounds, it is relatively easy to enunciate (compared to English). The many diphthongs are simply combinations of the basic vowels. There are only sixteen consonants, only one of which is foreign to English. These are b, d, g, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and the velar fricative
Velar fricative
Velar fricative can refer to*voiced velar fricative: in the International Phonetic Alphabet*voiceless velar fricative: in the International Phonetic Alphabet...
usually written as . All are pronounced approximately as in English except r, which is a "flipped" r (ɹ), and the velar fricative. The letter "w" is used only in combination with "g" or "k" as "gw" or "kw", never alone.