Rotokas language

Rotokas
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionBougainville
Native speakers
(4,300 cited 1981)[1]
North Bougainville
Dialects
  • Central, Pipipaia, Aita, Atsilima[2]
Latin (Rotokas alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-3roo
Glottologroto1249
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Rotokas is a North Bougainville language spoken by about 4,320 people on the island of Bougainville, an island located to the east of New Guinea, which is part of Papua New Guinea. According to Allen and Hurd (1963), there are three identified dialects: Central Rotokas ("Rotokas Proper"), Aita Rotokas, and Pipipaia; with a further dialect spoken in Atsilima (Atsinima) village with an unclear status.[3] Central Rotokas is most notable for its extremely small phonemic inventory and for having perhaps the smallest modern alphabet.[4]

  1. ^ Rotokas at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Rotokas". Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  3. ^ Allen and Hurd, 1963. Cited in Robinson (2006, p. 206): "it appears to be heavily influenced by contact with Keriaka"
  4. ^ Ager, Simon. "Rotokas alphabet, pronunciation and language". Omniglot. Retrieved 22 October 2018.