Bukawa

Bukawa is the name of a language community in the coastal areas of the Huon Gulf in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea , and the associated language (also Bugawac, Bukaua, Bukawac, Kawa, Kawac, Yom Gawac).

language

According to a 1978 census, the Bukawa language had 9,694 speakers. The number of speakers has probably increased since then. It belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian group of Austronesian languages and has the ISO 639-2 language code map. The language is closely related to the church language Yabem , the knowledge of which is still widespread among those who attended school until the 1960s. The pidgin language Tok Pisin serves as the second and lingua franca . Around 15–25 percent are able to read and write in their mother tongue. A translation of the New Testament has existed in Bukawa since 2001 .

Both Bukawa and Yabem are very much influenced by the neighboring Papuan languages .

Ethnic groups

Today Bukawa is also spoken by the ethnic group and language community of the Aribwatsa (also Lae, Lahe ) in the villages of Butibum and Kamkumun near Lae .