Pohnpeian

PON

provincial

Alternate Names: Ponapean

Dialects: Kiti, Ponapean, Sapwuahfik. Lexical similarity: 81% with Pingelapese ,, 75% with Mokilese ,, 36% with Chuukese ,.

Genealogy:

Austronesian
Malayo-Polynesian
Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
Eastern Malayo-Polynesian
Oceanic
Central-Eastern Oceanic
Remote Oceanic
Micronesian
Micronesian Proper
Ponapeic-Trukic
Ponapeic

Demographics: 29,000 in Micronesia (Johnstone and Mandryk 2001). 24,000 on Pohnpei, 3,430 on outer islands, 280 elsewhere. Population total all countries: 31,350.

Language Use: Vigorous. Used as L2 by Mokilese [mkj], Ngatik Men’s Creole [ngm], Nukuoro [nkr], Pingelapese [pif].

Language Development: Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1994.

Writing System: Latin

Nation of Origin: Micronesia