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Gilbertese
Taetae ni kiribati
Spoken in: Kiribati, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu
Total speakers: 102,000
Language family: Austronesian
 Malayo-Polynesian
  Central Eastern
   Eastern
    Oceanic
     Central-Eastern Oceanic
      Remote Oceanic
       Micronesian
        Micronesian Proper
         Gilbertese 
Official status
Official language in: Kiribati
Regulated by: Kiribati Language Board
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: gil
ISO 639-3: gil
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, is an Island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 351 million speakers The family of Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages is a branch of the Nuclear Malayo-Polynesian languages. The family of Eastern Malayo-Polynesian (EMP languages is a subgroup of the Central Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages. The Oceanic languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, containing approximately 450 languages The over 200 Central-Eastern Oceanic languages form a branch of the Oceanic Language family within the Austronesian languages. The family of Remote Oceanic languages is a subgroup of the Central-Eastern Oceanic languages. The family of Micronesian languages is a branch of the Central-Eastern Oceanic languages. The family of Micronesian Proper languages is a subgroup of the Micronesian languages. Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in This is a list of bodies that regulate Standard languages Natural languages Auxiliary languages Interlingua The auxiliary language ISO 639-1 is the first part of the ISO 639 international-standard language-code family ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages ISO 639 -3 (ISO 639-32007 is an international standard for Language codes The standard describes three‐letter codes for identifying languages In Computing, Unicode is an Industry standard allowing Computers to consistently represent and manipulate text expressed in most of the world's

Gilbertese or Kiribati (or sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both) is a language from the Austronesian family, part of the Oceanian branch and of the Nuclear Micronesian subbranch. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family The Oceanic languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, containing approximately 450 languages The family of Micronesian languages is a branch of the Central-Eastern Oceanic languages. It is a verb object subject language. In Linguistic typology, Verb Object Subject or Verb Object Agent - commonly used in its abbreviated form VOS or VOA - represents the language-classification

Contents

Name

The word Kiribati is just the modern rendition for "Gilberts", so the name is not usually translated into English. "Gilberts" comes from Captain Thomas Gilbert, who along with Captain John Marshall were the first Europeans to discover the Gilbert Islands in 1788. John Marshall was born in Ramsgate, Kent, England on February 15, 1748. The official name of the language is te taetae ni Kiribati, or 'the Kiribati language'.

The first complete description of this language was in Dictionnaire gilbertin-français of Father Ernest Sabatier (981p, 1954), a Catholic priest. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) This Dictionary has been translated into English later by Sister Olivia (with the help of South Pacific Commission). The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, or SPC (sometimes Pacific Community) is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations

Speakers

About 105,000 people speak Gilbertese, 98,000 of whom live in Kiribati, about 97. Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in 2% of the entire population. The others are the inhabitants of Nui (Tuvalu), Rabi Island (Fiji), Mili (Marshall Islands) and some other islands where I-Kiribati have been relocated (Solomon Islands, notably Choiseul Province, and Vanuatu) or emigrated (to New Zealand and Hawaii mainly). Nui is an Atoll and one of nine districts of the Pacific Ocean state of Tuvalu. Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Rabi (rambi is a volcanic island in northern Fiji. It is an outlier to Taveuni (5 kilometers west in the Vanua Levu Group Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Mili Atoll is an Atoll of 92 islands in the Ratak Chain in the Pacific Ocean. The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands The Choiseul Province is one of the nine provinces of the Solomon Islands. Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the

Unlike many in the Pacific region, the Kiribati language is far from extinct, and just about all speakers use it daily. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Only 30% of Kiribati speakers are fully bilingual with English, meaning that the language is in no current danger of being swallowed by the latter. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States

Fishermen, sailors, farmers and people involved in the production of copra comprise the majority of Kiribati speakers. Angling is a method of Fishing by means of an "angle" ( hook) A farm is an area of land including various structures devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food ( Produce, Grains, or Livestock Copra is the dried meat or kernel of the Coconut. The name copra is derived from the Malayalam word kopra for dried coconut

Countries by number of Gilbertese speakers

  1. Kiribati, 58,320
  2. Fiji, 5,300
  3. Nauru, 1,700
  4. Solomon Islands, 1,230
  5. Tuvalu, 870
  6. Vanuatu, 370
  7. The 189 remaining countries, probably less than 370

Linguistics and study

The Kiribati language has two main dialects: the Northern dialect and the Southern dialect. Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, is an Island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of The main differences between them are in the pronunciation of some words. The islands of Butaritari and Makin also have their own dialect. For the village see Butaritari (village Butaritari (previously known as Makin Pitt Island Taritari Island or Touching Island is an It differs from the standard Kiribati in both vocabulary and pronunciation.

Dialect listing

Phonology

Kiribati has 10 consonants and 10 vowels (5 short, five long)[1]

Consonants
Bilabial Apical Velar
plain velarized
Nasal m mˠ n ŋ
Plosive p pˠ t1 k
Fricative βˠ2
Flap ɾ3
  1. /t/ is lenited to [s] before /i/
  2. The labiovelar fricative /βˠ/ may be a flap and an approximant, depending on the context. Banaba Island (bəˈnɑːbə (also Ocean Island) an island in the Pacific Ocean, is a solitary raised Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य For the village see Butaritari (village Butaritari (previously known as Makin Pitt Island Taritari Island or Touching Island is an Marakei is a small Atoll in the North Gilbert Islands. The central lagoon consists of numerous deep basins and surrounded by two large islands which are separated For the village on Teraina see Abaiang (Teraina Abaiang, also spelled Apaiang, sometimes called Apiaia, and formerly Tarawa is an Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Maiana is a District of Kiribati and an Atoll in the North Gilbert Islands. Abemama (also Abamama Apamama Dundas Hopper Island Roger Simpson Island or Simpson Island is an atoll in the central part of the Kiribati (Gilberts Group located Aranuka (also previously known as Henderville Nonouki or Starbuck is an Atoll of Kiribati, located just north of the Equator, in the Gilbert Islands Tabiteuea is an Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, south of Tarawa. Nonouti is an Atoll and District of Kiribati. The atoll is located in the South Gilbert Islands, 38 km north of Tabiteuea and 250 km south Beru Island is an Island located in the Kingsmill Group of the South Gilbert Islands in the Pacific Ocean and is part of the Republic of Kiribati Nikunau is a low Coral Island located in the Gilbert Islands and forms a council district of the Republic of Kiribati. For the village see Butaritari (village Butaritari (previously known as Makin Pitt Island Taritari Island or Touching Island is an Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Tabiteuea is an Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, south of Tarawa. Onotoa is an Atoll and District of Kiribati. It is situated in the Gilbert Islands in the Pacific Ocean, 65 km from Tamana Arorae (previously known as Arorai Arurai Hope Island or Hurd is an Atoll in Kiribati located near the Equator. In Articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a Speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the upper Vocal tract, the upper vocal In Phonetics, a vowel is a Sound in spoken Language, such as English ah! or oh!, pronounced with an open Vocal tract In Phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a Consonant articulated with both Lips The bilabial consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet Velarization is a Secondary articulation of Consonants by which the back of the Tongue is raised toward the velum during the articulation of the A nasal consonant (also called nasal stop or nasal continuant) is produced with a lowered velum in the mouth allowing air to escape freely through the A stop, plosive, or occlusive is a Consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the Vocal tract. Fricatives are Consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together In Phonetics, a flap or tap is a type of Consonantal sound which is produced with a single contraction of the muscles so that one articulator (such as the Lenition is a kind of Consonant mutation that appears in many Languages Along with assimilation, it is one of the primary sources of historical change [2]
  3. /ɾ/ does not occur in the syllable coda[3]
Vowels
Front Back
Close1 i u
Mid e o
Open a
  1. Short /i/ and /u/ may become semivowels when followed by more sonorous vowels. A front vowel is a type of Vowel sound used in some spoken Languages The defining characteristic of a front vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far forward A back vowel is a type of Vowel sound used in some spoken Languages The defining characteristic of a back vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far back as A close vowel is a type of Vowel sound used in many spoken Languages The defining characteristic of a close vowel is that the tongue is positioned as close as A mid vowel is a Vowel sound used in some spoken Languages The defining characteristic of a mid vowel is that the tongue is positioned mid-way between an An open vowel is a Vowel sound of a type used in most spoken Languages The defining characteristic of an open vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far as /ie/ → [je] ('sail'). [4] Kiribati also possesses syllabic nasals, although syllabic /n/ and /ŋ/ can only be followed by consonants that are homorganic. [5]

Quantity is distinctive for vowels and nasal consonants but not for the remaining sounds so that ana (third person singular article) contrasts with aana ('its underside') as well as anna ('dry land'). Other minimal pairs include:[6]

Short Long
te ben ('ripe coconut') te been ('pen')
ti (1st person subj marker) tii ('only')
on ('full') oon ('the/some turtles')
te atu ('bundle') te atuu ('head')
tuanga ('to tell someone') tuangnga ('to tell')

Written Kiribati

The Kiribati language is written in the Latin alphabet, and has been since the 1840s, when Hiram Bingham Jr, a missionary, first translated the Bible into Kiribati. Events and trends Technology First use of General anesthesia in an operation by Crawford Long. A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Previously, the language was unwritten. The letter 's' does not appear in the Kiribati alphabet, instead the combination "ti" is used for that sound.

One difficulty in translating the Bible was references to words such as "mountain", a geographical phenomenon unknown to the people of the islands of Kiribati at the time (only heard in the myths from Samoa). A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean Bingham decided to use "hilly", which would be more easily understood. Such adjustments are common to all languages as "modern" things require creation of new words. The Gilbertese word for airplane is te wanikiba, "the canoe that flies".

Catholic missionaries would later arrive at the islands in 1888 and translate the Bible independently of Bingham, resulting in differences (Bingham wrote Jesus as "Iesu", while the Catholics wrote "Ietu") that would only be resolved in the 20th century. As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described Year 1888 ( MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The twentieth century of the Common Era began on In 1954, Father Ernest Sabatier published the bigger and more accurate English-Kiribati Dictionary (translated into English by Sister Olivia): Dictionnaire Gilbertin-Français, 981p. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) (edited by South Pacific Commission in 1971). Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar.

Kiribati Alphabet[7]
Letter A B E I K M N NG O R T U W
IPA /ä/ /p/ /e/ /i/ /k/ /m/ /n/ /ŋ/ /o/ /ɾ/ /t/ /u/ /βˠ/

Useful phrases

Notes

  1. ^ Blevins (1999:205-206)
  2. ^ Blevins (1999:206)
  3. ^ Blevins (1999:207)
  4. ^ Blevins (1999:209)
  5. ^ Blevins (1999:206)
  6. ^ Blevins (1999:206)
  7. ^ Te taetae ni Kiribati - Kiribati Language Lessons - 10

Bibliography

External links

Gilbertese or Kiribati (or sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both is a Language from the Austronesian family, part of the Gilbertese or Kiribati (or sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both is a Language from the Austronesian family, part of the Gilbertese or Kiribati (or sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both is a Language from the Austronesian family, part of the Gilbertese or Kiribati (or sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both is a Language from the Austronesian family, part of the Gilbertese or Kiribati (or sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both is a Language from the Austronesian family, part of the Gilbertese or Kiribati (or sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both is a Language from the Austronesian family, part of the
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