Roviana

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A language of Solomon Islands

ISO 639-3
rug
Alternate Names
Robiana, Rubiana, Ruviana
Population

9,870 (1999 SIL).

Location

Western Province, north central New Georgia, Roviana and Vonavona lagoons.

Language Maps
Language Status

3 (Wider communication).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western Oceanic, Meso Melanesian, New Ireland, South New Ireland-Northwest Solomonic, New Georgia, West
Typology

VSO

Language Use

Being supplanted as lingua franca by Pijin [pis] in Western Province; now used as L2 in Western Province and as far north as Buka and Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, mainly by those over 30 years old. 16,000 L2 users (1987 UBS).

Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: 30%–60%. Literacy rate in L2: 25%–50%. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1953–1995.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Roviana
Writing
Latin script.