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The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 40 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island.
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of 2,100 km2 (810 sq mi), measuring around 100 km × 30 km. Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles which can be broadly described as lowland tropical rain forest. The highest point on Manus Island is Mt. Dremsel, 718 metres (2,356 ft) above sea level at the centre of the south coast. Manus Island is volcanic in origin and probably broke through the ocean's surface in the late Miocene, 8 to 10 million years ago. The substrate of the island is either directly volcanic or from uplifted coral limestone.
Near Oceania is the part of Oceania that features greater biodiversity, due to the islands and atolls being closer to each other. The distinction of Near and Remote Oceania was first suggested by Pawley & Green (1973) and was further elaborated on in Green (1991). The distinction is based on geology, flora and fauna. Near Oceania was also settled by humans at an earlier time than Remote Oceania was. Near Oceania includes the island of New Guinea, Solomon Islands(excluding Temotu) and the Bismarck Archipelago. Sometimes Australia is also included in Near Oceania.
The approximately 450 Oceanic languages are a branch of the Austronesian languages. The area occupied by speakers of these languages includes Polynesia, as well as much of Melanesia and Micronesia. Though covering a vast area, Oceanic languages are spoken by only two million people. The largest individual Oceanic languages are Eastern Fijian with over 600,000 speakers, and Samoan with an estimated 400,000 speakers. The Gilbertese (Kiribati), Tongan, Tahitian, Māori and Tolai languages each have over 100,000 speakers. The common ancestor which is reconstructed for this group of languages is called Proto-Oceanic.
The Admiralty Islands languages are a group of some thirty Oceanic languages spoken on the Admiralty Islands. They may include Yapese, which has proven difficult to classify.
The Manus languages are a subgroup of about two dozen Oceanic languages located on Manus Island and nearby offshore islands in Manus Province of Papua New Guinea. The exact number of languages is difficult to determine because they form a dialect continuum. The name Manus originally designated an ethnic group whose members spoke closely related languages and whose coastal dwellers tended to build their houses on stilts out over the sea.
Khehek is an Oceanic language spoken by approximately 1600 people on west-central Manus Island, Manus Province of Papua New Guinea. It has two dialects, Drehet and Levei, which are sometimes considered separate languages.
Bipi Island is a flat coral island located off the west coast of the main island of Manus in the Admiralty Group, Papua New Guinea. Adjacent and to the North East of Bipi Island is Sisi Island. Bipi Island consists of three villages, namely Masoh, Matahai, and Kum with approximately one thousand inhabitants.
Lou is a Southeast Admiralty Islands language spoken on Lou Island of Manus Province, Papua New Guinea by 1,000 people.
The Seimat language is one of three Western Admiralty Islands languages, the other two being Wuvulu-Aua and the extinct Kaniet. The language is spoken by approximately 1000 people on the Ninigo and the Anchorite Islands in western Manus Province of Papua New Guinea. It has subject–verb–object (SVO) word order.
The Kaniet languages were two of four Western Admiralty Islands languages, a subgroup of the Admiralty Islands languages, the other two being Wuvulu-Aua and Seimat. The languages were spoken on the Kaniet Islands in western Manus Province of Papua New Guinea until the 1950s.
The Nyindrou language is a West Manus language spoken by approximately 4200 people in the westernmost part of Manus Island, Manus Province of Papua New Guinea. It has SVO word order.
The Likum language is a West Manus language spoken by approximately 80 people in western Manus Island, Manus Province of Papua New Guinea. Its speakers also use Nyindrou. Likum is classified as "definitely endangered" by UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. It has SVO word order.
The Hermit language is an extinct West Manus language formerly spoken on Hermit, Luf and Maron Islands in western Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. It has been replaced by Seimat.
The Sori-Harengan language is a West Manus language spoken by approximately 570 people on the Sori and Harengan Islands, northwest off the coast of Manus Island, and on the northwestern coast Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. It has SVO word order.
The Tulu-Bohuai language is a West Manus language spoken by approximately 1400 people on central Manus Island and on Peli Island, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea.
The Mondropolon language is a West Manus language spoken by approximately 300 people on north-central Manus Island, Manus Province of Papua New Guinea. Its speakers also use Kurti. It has SVO word order.
The Koro language is an East Manus language spoken by approximately 900 people on northeastern Manus Island and on Los Negros Island to the east in Manus Province of Papua New Guinea. It has SVO word order.
The Pam Islands are an island group of the Admiralty Islands archipelago in the Bismarck Sea, within Papua New Guinea.
Loniu is an Austronesian language spoken along the southern coast of Los Negros Island in the Manus Province, immediately east of Manus Island in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. Loniu is spoken in the villages of Loniu and Lolak, and there are estimated to be 450–500 native speakers, although some live in other Manus villages or on the mainland of Papua New Guinea.
References
- 1 2 Bipi at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
