Hiri Motu

Hiri Motu is an Austronesian-based creole derived from the Motu language and used as a lingua franca in Papua New Guinea.

Motu language: Motu is an Austronesian language spoken by the Motu people of Papua New Guinea. Hiri Motu developed from Motu, retaining much of its vocabulary while simplifying its grammar.
Hiri trade: Hiri trade was a seasonal exchange network linking Motu communities with Gulf-region peoples of Papua New Guinea. Trade and travel created repeated encounters that encouraged a shared contact language.
Lingua franca: A lingua franca is a language used for communication among people who have different first languages. Hiri Motu has served this role among communities in southern Papua New Guinea.
Language shift: Language shift is the process by which a community increasingly uses one language instead of another. Greater use of Tok Pisin and English has reduced Hiri Motu’s everyday prominence.
Austronesian languages: Austronesian is a language family spoken across islands from Madagascar to the Pacific. Hiri Motu’s vocabulary and linguistic ancestry ultimately belong to this family.
Motu people: The Motu are an Indigenous people of the south coast of Papua New Guinea. Their language supplied the base from which Hiri Motu developed.
Police Motu: Police Motu is a simplified form of Hiri Motu historically used in Papua New Guinea police communication. It is a specialized institutional variety associated with Hiri Motu’s public use.
Language endangerment: Language endangerment occurs when a language loses speakers or domains of use and risks falling out of use. Reduced intergenerational use raises concerns about Hiri Motu’s continued vitality.
Creole language: A creole is a language that develops from contact languages and becomes a community’s stable means of communication. Hiri Motu is classified as a creole shaped by sustained contact between Motu speakers and outsiders.
Gulf Province: Gulf Province is a coastal province of southern Papua New Guinea. Communities in this region traded with Motu speakers and used Hiri Motu.

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Papuan peoplesRelated: Its history shows how a local language became a tool of intercommunity communication.