Languages of the Solomon Islands archipelago
{{Short description|none}}
{{Languages of
| country = the Solomon Islands archipelago
| image = Central_Solomons_languages.svg
| image size = 420px
| caption = Language families of the Solomon Islands archipelago
Red: North Bougainville
Blue: South Bougainville
Green: Central Solomons
Grey: Austronesian
| official = English
| vernacular = Pijin, Solomon Islands English
| indigenous = Several languages
| keyboard = QWERTY, US
}}
Over 70 languages are spoken in the Solomon Islands archipelagoTryon & Hackman (1983). which covers a broader area than the nation state of Solomon Islands,Ples Blong Iumi: Solomon Islands the Past Four Thousand Years, Hugh Laracy (ed.), University of the South Pacific, 1989, {{ISBN|982-02-0027-X}} and includes the island of Bougainville, which is an autonomous province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The lingua franca of the Solomon Islands proper is Pijin (whereas the lingua franca of Bougainville is Tok Pisin) and the official language in both countries is English.
Language families
Most of the languages in the Solomon Islands archipelago are Austronesian languages.
The Central Solomon languages such as Bilua, Lavukaleve, Savosavo and Touo constitute an independent family within the Papuan languages.{{harvcoltxt|Obata|2003|p=1}}
Two other language families are represented on Bougainville, which forms part of the nation of Papua New Guinea but is geographically part of the archipelago.
The status of the Reefs – Santa Cruz languages were once thought to be non-Austronesian, but further research found them to be divergent Austronesian languages.Ross & Næss (2007). The neighbouring languages of Vanikoro are also heavily relexified Austronesian languages.{{Harvcoltxt|François|2009}}
An indigenous sign language, Rennellese Sign Language, has gone extinct.
Languages of the Solomon Islands archipelago
The following table lists 72 indigenous languages, including 66 from the Oceanic family, 4 from a “Papuan” family (Central Solomonic), as well as one Creole and one sign language.
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Language !! ISO 639-3 code !! data-sort-type=number | Speakers ! data-sort-type=number | % of total popⁿ !! Area !! Branch !! Family | |||||
| Pijin | pis | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:24390}} (lg 1) {{formatnum:307000}} (lg 2) |style="text-align: right;" | 4.0689 (lg 1) | | colspan="2" | Creole | ||
| Lungga | lga | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:2767}}
|0.4616 | Ranongga | rowspan="23" | Western Oceanic | rowspan="66" |Oceanic | |
| Marovo | mvo | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:8094}}
|1.3503 | New Georgia | ||
| Mono | mte | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:3337}}
|0.5567 | Shortland Is, Treasury Is | ||
| Ririo | rri | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:79}}
|0.0132 | Choiseul Province | ||
| Roviana | rug | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:9871}}
|1.6468 | New Georgia | ||
| Babatana | baa | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:5600}}
|0.9342 | Choiseul Province | ||
| Blablanga | blp | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1772}}
|0.2956 | Santa Isabel | ||
| Cheke Holo | mrn | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:10840}}
|1.8084 | Santa Isabel | ||
| Duke | nke | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:2312}}
|0.3857 | Kolombangara | ||
| Ghanongga | ghn | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:2508}}
|0.4184 | Ranongga | ||
| Hoava | hoa | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:459}}
|0.0766 | New Georgia | ||
| Kazukuru | kzk | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:0}}
|0.0000 | New Georgia | ||
| Kokota | kkk | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:530}}
|0.0884 | Santa Isabel | ||
| Kusaghe | ksg | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:2395}}
|0.3996 | New Georgia | ||
| Simbo | sbb | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:2701}}
|0.4506 | Simbo | ||
| Ughele | uge | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1202}}
|0.2005 | Rendova Island | ||
| Vaghua | tva | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1960}}
|0.3270 | Choiseul Province | ||
| Vangunu | mpr | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:907}}
|0.1513 | Vangunu | ||
| Varisi | vrs | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:5161}}
|0.8610 | Choiseul Province | ||
| Gao | gga | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1215}}
|0.2027 | Santa Isabel | ||
| Laghu | lgb | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:15}}
|0.0025 | Santa Isabel | ||
| Zabana | kji | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:3355}}
|0.5597 | Santa Isabel | ||
| Zazao | jaj | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:10}}
|0.0017 | Santa Isabel | ||
| ꞋAreꞌare | alu | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:17800}}
|2.9695 | Malaita | rowspan="26" | Southeast Solomonic | |
| Arosi | aia | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:6750}}
|1.1261 | Makira | ||
| Baeggu | bvd | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:5900}}
|0.9843 | Malaita | ||
| Baelelea | bvc | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:8800}}
|1.4681 | Malaita | ||
| Bauro | bxa | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:3420}}
|0.5706 | Makira | ||
| Birao | brr | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:5900}}
|0.9843 | Guadalcanal | ||
| Bughotu | bgt | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:4048}}
|0.6753 | Santa Isabel | ||
| Dori'o | dor | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:2406}}
|0.4014 | Malaita | ||
| Fagani | faf | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:902}}
|0.1505 | Makira | ||
| Fataleka | far | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:6703}}
|1.1182 | Malaita | ||
| Gela | nlg | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:11876}}
|1.9813 | Nggela Islands | ||
| Ghari | gri | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:12119}}
|2.0218 | Guadalcanal | ||
| Gula'alaa | gmb | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1568}}
|0.2616 | Malaita | ||
| Kahua | agw | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:5170}}
|0.8625 | Makira | ||
| Kwaio | kwd | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:13249}}
|2.2103 | Malaita | ||
| Kwara'ae | kwf | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:32433}}
|5.4107 | Malaita | ||
| Lau | llu | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:16937}}
|2.8256 | Malaita | ||
| Lengo | lgr | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:13752}}
|2.2942 | Guadalcanal | ||
| Longgu | lgu | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1894}}
|0.3160 | Guadalcanal | ||
| Oroha | ora | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:38}}
|0.0063 | Malaita | ||
| Owa | stn | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:3069}}
|0.5120 | Makira | ||
| Sa'a | apb | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:11519}}
|1.9217 | Malaita | ||
| Talise | tlr | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:12525}}
|2.0895 | Guadalcanal | ||
| Toqabaqita | mlu | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:12572}}
|2.0974 | Malaita | ||
| Wala | lgl | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:6978}}
|1.1641 | Malaita | ||
| Malango | mln | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:4135}}
|0.6898 | Guadalcanal | ||
| Tanema | tnx | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1}}
|0.0002 | Vanikoro | rowspan="10" | Temotu | |
| Asubuo | aua | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:10}}
|0.0017 | Utupua | ||
| Amba | utp | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:593}}
|0.0989 | Utupua | ||
| Äiwoo | nfl | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:8400}}
|1.4014 | Reef Islands | ||
| Lovono | vnk | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:4}}
|0.0007 | Vanikoro | ||
| Nanggu | ngr | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:210}}
|0.0350 | Nendö | ||
| Natügu | ntu | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:4280}}
|0.7140 | Nendö | ||
| Nalögo | nlz | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1620}}
|0.2703 | Nendö | ||
| Tanibili | tbe | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:15}}
|0.0025 | Utupua | ||
| Teanu | tkw | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:800}}
|0.1335 | Vanikoro | ||
| Gilbertese | gil | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1230}}
|0.2052 | Gizo, Choiseul | Micronesian | |
| Rennellese | mnv | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:3191}}
|0.5323 | Rennell & Bellona | rowspan="6" | Polynesian | |
| Luangiua | ojv | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:2367}}
|0.3949 | Ontong Java | ||
| Sikaiana | sky | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:731}}
|0.1220 | Sikaiana | ||
| Tikopia | tkp | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:3324}}
|0.5545 | Tikopia, Vanikoro | ||
| Vaeakau-Taumako | piv | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1142}}
|0.1905 | Duff Is, Reef Is | ||
| Anuta | aud | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:267}}
|0.0445 | Anuta Island | ||
| Lavukaleve | lvk | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1783}}
|0.2975 | Russell Islands | rowspan="4" | Central Solomonic | rowspan="4" | “Papuan” |
| Savosavo | svs | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:2415}}
|0.4029 | Savo | ||
| Touo | tqu | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:1874}}
|0.3126 | Rendova Island | ||
| Bilua | blb | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:8740}}
|1.4581 | Vella Lavella | ||
| Rennellese Sign Language | style="text-align: right;" | {{formatnum:0}}
|0.0000 | colspan="2" | Home sign |
Italics indicate that a language is extinct.
Footnotes
{{reflist}}
Sources
- {{Citation | last = François | first = Alexandre | author-link = Alexandre François (linguist) | contribution = The languages of Vanikoro: Three lexicons and one grammar | editor-last = Evans | editor-first = Bethwyn | title = Discovering history through language: Papers in honour of Malcolm Ross | pages = 103–126 | publisher = Australian National University | place = Canberra | year = 2009 | series = Pacific Linguistics 605 | contribution-url = https://marama.huma-num.fr/data/AlexFrancois_2009_Vanikoro-languages.pdf }}
- {{cite book |surname=Obata |given=Kazuko |title=A Grammar of Bilua: a Papuan language of the Solomon Islands |series=Pacific Linguistics 540 |year=2003 |place=Canberra |publisher=Pacific Linguistics. Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. The Australian National University |url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/146708/1/PL-540.pdf |doi=10.15144/PL-540 |hdl=1885/146708 |isbn=0-85883-531-2}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Ross |first1=Malcolm |authorlink1=Malcolm Ross (linguist) |last2=Næss|first2=Åshild | title= An Oceanic origin for Äiwoo, the language of the Reef Islands? | journal= Oceanic Linguistics | year= 2007 | volume= 46 | issue= 2 | pages= 456–498 | doi=10.1353/ol.2008.0003| hdl= 1885/20053 | hdl-access= free |ref=RN}}
- {{cite book |last1=Tryon|first1=Darrell T.|authorlink1=Darrell Tryon|last2=Hackman|first2=Bryan D.|title=Solomon Islands languages: an internal classification|date=1983|publisher=Pacific Linguistics|location=Canberra |ref=DTH|doi=10.15144/PL-C72}}
- Data set derived from Tryon & Hackman (1983): Greenhill, Simon, & Robert Forkel. (2019). lexibank/tryonsolomon: Solomon Islands Languages (Version v3.0). Zenodo. {{doi|10.5281/zenodo.3535809}}
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