Ngatikese Creole, also called Ngatik Men's Creole, is a
creole language
A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable natural language that develops from the simplifying and mixing of different languages into a new one within a fairly brief period of time: often, a pidgin evolved into a full-fledged language. ...
spoken mostly on the atoll of
Sapwuahfik
Sapwuahfik, formerly Ngatik, or the Raven Islands is a atoll of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a village and municipality of roughly 430 people on a land area of in the state of Pohnpei.
Geography
It is located southwest of the m ...
(formerly
Ngatik
Sapwuahfik, formerly Ngatik, or the Raven Islands is a atoll of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a village and municipality of roughly 430 people on a land area of in the state of Pohnpei.
Geography
It is located southwest of the m ...
) in the
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the ce ...
. It is spoken by about 500 on the atoll, and by another 200 on the nearby major island of
Pohnpei. It is a
creole consisting of English and Sapwuahfik Pohnpeian spoken primarily by men, especially when engaged in communal activities such as fishing or boat-building, but is readily understood by women and children.
It is used as a secret language by
Ngatikese people when they are in the presence of
Pohnpeian
Pohnpeian is a Micronesian language spoken as the indigenous language of the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Pohnpeian has approximately 30,000 (estimated) native speakers living in Pohnpei and its outlying atolls and islands with a ...
speakers.
"
Ngatikese
Ngatikese, or Sapwuahfik, is a Micronesian language originating on Sapwuahfik atoll, Federated States of Micronesia. Of the 700 Ngatikese speakers, only about 450 live on Sapwuahfik. It was previously considered a distinct dialect of Pohnpeian, ...
" also refers to the non-creolized language, descending from
Pohnpeian
Pohnpeian is a Micronesian language spoken as the indigenous language of the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Pohnpeian has approximately 30,000 (estimated) native speakers living in Pohnpei and its outlying atolls and islands with a ...
, that is spoken on the atoll.
History
The Ngatik Men's Creole developed as a result of the 1837
Ngatik massacre The Ngatik massacre took place over two days of fighting on the atoll of Sapwuahfik in the Micronesian island chain in July 1837. Captain C. H. Hart and his crew of beachcombers of the trading cutter ''Lampton'' from Sydney, Australia, massacred as ...
, during which the island's male population was wiped out by the crew of
Australian captain C.H. Hart's ship ''Lambton'' and Pohnpeian warriors. Some of the Europeans and
Pohnpeians
The Micronesians or Micronesian peoples are various closely related ethnic groups native to Micronesia, a region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They are a part of the Austronesian ethnolinguistic group, which has an Urheimat in Taiwan.
Ethn ...
settled and repopulated the island, taking the local women as wives. The island formed a new culture and language, a mixture of English and
Ngatikese
Ngatikese, or Sapwuahfik, is a Micronesian language originating on Sapwuahfik atoll, Federated States of Micronesia. Of the 700 Ngatikese speakers, only about 450 live on Sapwuahfik. It was previously considered a distinct dialect of Pohnpeian, ...
.
See also
* Pidgin
*Sapwuahfik
Sapwuahfik, formerly Ngatik, or the Raven Islands is a atoll of the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a village and municipality of roughly 430 people on a land area of in the state of Pohnpei.
Geography
It is located southwest of the m ...
*Pohnpeian language
Pohnpeian is a Micronesian language spoken as the indigenous language of the island of Pohnpei in the Caroline Islands. Pohnpeian has approximately 30,000 (estimated) native speakers living in Pohnpei and its outlying atolls and islands with a ...
*Creole language
A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable natural language that develops from the simplifying and mixing of different languages into a new one within a fairly brief period of time: often, a pidgin evolved into a full-fledged language. ...
*English-based creole languages
An English-based creole language (often shortened to English creole) is a creole language for which English was the '' lexifier'', meaning that at the time of its formation the vocabulary of English served as the basis for the majority of the cre ...
*Ngatikese language
Ngatikese, or Sapwuahfik, is a Micronesian language originating on Sapwuahfik atoll, Federated States of Micronesia. Of the 700 Ngatikese speakers, only about 450 live on Sapwuahfik. It was previously considered a distinct dialect of Pohnpeian, ...
* Bonin English
References
External links
* Kaipuleohone holds audio recordings of Ngatik Men's Creole including word lists
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...
, and a conversation
English-based pidgins and creoles
Languages of the Federated States of Micronesia
Pohnpeic languages
Pohnpei
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