Alternate Names: Bichelamar
Dialects: None known. Partially intelligible with Pijin , (Solomon Islands) and Tok Pisin , (Papua New Guinea), but, unlike them, Bislama has some French loanwords.
Status Notes: Most in the country understand and use it as lingua franca and as a symbol of national identity.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 10,000 in Vanuatu (2011), increasing. Ethnic population: 95% Melanesian. L2 users: Widely used by European and Asian expat residents, NGO’s and development agencies.
Language Use: All ages, except elderly or youngest rural speakers. Positive attitudes. Also use English [eng], French [fra]. Used as L2 by Daakaka [bpa], Eton [etn], Lakon [lkn], Lamenu [lmu], Lelepa [lpa], Lewo [lww], Marino [mrb], Maskelynes [klv], Merei [lmb], North Tanna [tnn], Sakao [sku], South Efate [erk].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: 35%. Literacy rate in L2: Low. Proposed vernacular education (2011). Widespread informal use in elementary schools. Used informally in classrooms in secondary schools. Poetry. Magazines. Newspapers. New media. Radio programs. TV. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1998.
Spoken In: Vanuatu
Writing System: Latin
Nation of Origin: Vanuatu
Other Comments: Christian.