Mortlockese

Print

A language of Micronesia

ISO 639-3
mrl
Alternate Names
Mortlock, Nomoi
Population

5,900 in Micronesia (1989 census). 1,690 Upper Mortlock, 1,760 Mid Mortlock, 2,460 Lower Mortlock, about 1,000 elsewhere. Population total all countries: 5,940.

Location

Mortlock Islands, southeast of Truk; Caroline Islands; Ponape island, lower Mortlock. Also in United States.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

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

Lower Mortlock, Mid Mortlock, Upper Mortlock. 75% intelligibility of Puluwatese [puw], 18% of Satawalese [stw], 8% of Woleaian [woe]. Lexical similarity: 80%–85% with Chuukese [chk], 83% with Puluwatese, 82% with Satawalese, 81% with Carolinian [cal], 78% with Woleaian, 72% with Ulithian [uli].

Language Use

Vigorous.

Language Development
NT: 1883.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Mortlockese
Writing
Latin script.