Gapapaiwa

Print

A language of Papua New Guinea

ISO 639-3
pwg
Alternate Names
Gapa, Manape, Paiwa
Population

3,000 (2007 SIL), increasing.

Location

Milne Bay Province, Makamaka district, Cape Vogel south coast, inland on Ruaba river.

Language Maps
Language Status

5 (Developing).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western Oceanic, Papuan Tip, Nuclear, North Papuan Mainland-D’Entrecasteaux, Are-Taupota, Are
Dialects

East Gapa, West Paiwa. Lexical similarity: 73% with Ghayavi [bmk] (Boanaki dialect most similar).

Typology

SOV; CV

Language Use

All domains except with outsiders, some church services. All ages. Positive attitudes. Also use English [eng]. Very old adults use Wedau [wed].

Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: 80%. Literacy rate in L2: 80% in English. Taught in primary schools. Poetry. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 2009.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Gapapaiwa
Writing
Latin script.
Other Comments

A number of well-educated people.