Ngatikese Creole
Native toMicronesia
RegionSapwuahfik (Ngatik), Pohnpei
Native speakers
15–30 (2014)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ngm
Glottologngat1248
ELPNgatik Men's Creole
Ngatikese Creole is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Ngatikese Creole, also called Ngatik Men's Creole, is a creole language spoken mostly on the atoll of Sapwuahfik (formerly Ngatik) in the Caroline Islands. 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.[2] It is used as a secret language by Ngatikese people when they are in the presence of Pohnpeian speakers.[3]

"Ngatikese" also refers to the non-creolized language, descending from Pohnpeian, that is spoken on the atoll.[4]

History

The Ngatik Men's Creole developed as a result of the 1837 Ngatik massacre, 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 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.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Did you know Ngatik Men's Creole is severely endangered?".
  2. ^ Ngatikese Creole at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  3. ^ Tryon, Darrell T.; Charpentier, Jean-Michel (2004). Pacific Pidgins and Creoles. Berlin: Die Deutsche Bibliothek. p. 14. ISBN 3-11-016998-3.
  4. ^ a b Poyer, Lin (1990). "6. Being Sapwuahfik: Cultural and Ethnic Identity in a Micronesian Society". In Jocelyn Linnekin, Lin Poyer (ed.). Cultural Identity and Ethnicity in the Pacific. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 127, 146. ISBN 0824818911. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  5. ^ Poyer, Lin (1993). The Ngatik massacre: history and identity on a Micronesian atoll. Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 1–3, 146. ISBN 1560982624. Retrieved 2012-12-15.

External links

Languages of the Federated States of Micronesia
Micronesian languages
Languages of Oceania
Categories