Suau

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A language of Papua New Guinea

ISO 639-3
swp
Alternate Names
Iou
Population

6,800 (Wurm and Hattori 1981). 10% monolingual.

Location

Milne Bay Province, southeasternmost Papua mainland.

Language Maps
Language Status

5 (Developing).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western Oceanic, Papuan Tip, Nuclear, Suauic
Dialects

Bona Bona, Bonarua, Dahuni, Lausaha (Daui, Fife Bay), Leileiafa, Sinaki (Gadaisu, Gaidasu), Suau.

Language Use

Lingua franca of 14,000 in south coast areas.

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: high. NT: 1956–1962.
Writing
Latin script.