| Pingelapese | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Micronesia |
| Region | Pingelap |
Native speakers | (2,500 cited 1991)[1] All users: 4,500 |
Austronesian
| |
| Latin script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | pif |
| Glottolog | ping1243 |
| ELP | Pingelapese |
 Pingelapese is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
The Pingelapese language is a Micronesian language native to Pingelap, an atoll belonging to the state of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. This atoll is the homeland to the Pingelapese people, consisting of a three-square mile range of uninhabited small coral islets, Daekae and Sukora, and the inhabited islet, Pingelap. These islands partially make up the Caroline Islands.[2]
Because of natural disasters and emigration consequent to European and U.S. influence, the local population of the Pingelapese people is small. There are at least 2,000 Pingelapese people worldwide.
Although the official language of the Pohnpei State is English, 200 of the 250 Pingelap atoll residents and 1,200 Pohnpei residents speak Pingelapese. The Pingelapese language is used for face-to-face communication among speakers of all ages. It is classified as a vigorous language. With the help of linguists like Leilani Welley-Biza sharing knowledge from her elders, significant cultural/historical connections to the Pingelapese language have been more thoroughly documented and preserved,[3] to be passed down between generations. The Doahkaesa and King of Pingelap, His Majesty Dr. Berysin D. Salomon, and His Majesty's chosen traditional leaders, through the Pingelapese customary rite, strive to maintain the traditional language and the cultural/historical heritage of the people of Pingelap.
- ^ Pingelapese at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ EnduringVoices (2013-10-17), Pingelapese language identity and status, archived from the original on 2021-12-13, retrieved 2017-02-10
- ^ Hattori, Ryoko (2012). Preverbal Particles in Pingelapese. Ann Arbor. p. 10. ISBN 9781267817211.
