Kiribati

GIL

national

Alternate Names: Gilbertese, Ikiribati, I-Kiribati

Dialects: Banaban. North-south dialect Division. In Tuvalu, Nui inherently intelligible with Kiribati, but has vocabulary and pronunciation differences. Lexical similarity: 26% with Pohnapeian ,.

Status Notes: De facto language of national identity.

Genealogy:

Austronesian

Malayo-Polynesian

Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian

Eastern Malayo-Polynesian

Oceanic

Central-Eastern Oceanic

Remote Oceanic

Micronesian

Micronesian Proper

Ikiribati

Demographics: 58,300 in Kiribati (1987). Population total all countries: 71,580.

Language Use: Vigorous. Also use English [eng].

Language Development: Most are literate in Kiribati, but little material is available. Dictionary. Bible: 1893–1954.

Typology: VOS.

Spoken In: Kiribati

Writing System: Latin

Nation of Origin: Kiribati

Other Comments: Glossonym: I-Kiribati. Christian.