KIRIBATI: a language of Kiribati

The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.

SIL code: GLB

ISO 639-2: gil

Population	58,320 in Kiribati (1987), 97.2% of the population. Population total all countries 67,200.
Region	Also spoken in Fiji, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
Alternate names	GILBERTESE, IKIRIBATI
Dialects	BANABAN.
Classification	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Micronesian, Micronesian Proper, Ikiribati.
Comments	North-south dialect division. 26% lexical similarity with Ponapean. Only 30% of the speakers are effectively bilingual in Kiribati and English. Active language use. National language. Dictionary. VOS. Most are literate in Kiribati, but little material is available. Fishermen, sailors, agriculturalists, copra production. Christian. Bible 1893-1954.

Also spoken in:

Fiji

Language name	KIRIBATI
Population	5,300 in Fiji, including 3,000 or more Banaban (1988).
Alternate names	GILBERTESE, IKIRIBATI
Dialects	BANABAN.
Comments	Christian. Bible 1893-1954. See main entry under Kiribati.

Solomon Islands

Language name	KIRIBATI
Population	1,230 (1998 SIL).
Alternate names	GILBERTESE, IKIRIBATI
Comments	The British relocated them here in the 1950s. Dictionary. Christian. Bible 1893-1954. See main entry under Kiribati.

Tuvalu

Language name	KIRIBATI
Population	870 (1987).
Alternate names	GILBERTESE, IKIRIBATI
Dialects	NUI (NUIAN).
Comments	The Nui dialect is inherently intelligible with Kiribati, but has vocabulary and pronunciation differences. Active language use. A part of Tuvalu culture. VOS. Christian. Bible 1893-1954. See main entry under Kiribati.