Kiribati

Print

A language of Kiribati

ISO 639-3
gil
Alternate Names
Gilbertese, Ikiribati, I-Kiribati
Population

58,300 in Kiribati (1987). Population total all countries: 71,580.

Location

Also in Fiji, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, United States, Vanuatu.

Language Maps
Language Status

1 (National). De facto national language.

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Micronesian, Micronesian Proper, Ikiribati
Dialects

Banaban. North-south dialect Division. In Tuvalu, Nui inherently intelligible with Kiribati, but has vocabulary and pronunciation differences. Lexical similarity: 26% with Pohnapeian [pon].

Typology

VOS

Language Use

Vigorous. Some also use English [eng].

Language Development
Most are literate in Kiribati, but little material is available. Dictionary. Bible: 1893–1954.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Kiribati
Writing
Latin script.
Other Comments

Glossonym: I-Kiribati. Christian.

Also spoken in:

Expand All Collapse All