Mortlockese is a Micronesian language spoken mainly in the Mortlock Islands, part of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia. There are also some speakers on Pohnpei and Saipan islands, in Guam, and in Hawaii other parts of the USA. In 1989 there were about 5,900 speakers of Mortlockese, which is also known as Morklock or Nomoi.
The name Nomoi comes from one of the islands on which the language is spoken, and the native name, kapsen Mwoshulók means 'speech of the Mortlocks'. Mortlockese is closely related to Puluwatese and Satawalese, and increasingly with Chuukese.
There are at least 11 different dialects of Mortlockese, one for each of the islands on which it is spoken. They are all more or less mutually intelligible, and differ mainly in pronunciation and some vocabulary.
There is no standard way of writing Mortlockese. The one shown below is based on Chuukese spelling with some modifications [source].
Download an alphabet chart for Mortlockese (Excel)
Mé mwmwan meet mwonson, iaa mwashan féérei iáái kapsen tiirou óómi, shóón pangei iáái mmak ie—sááilón re Mwoshlók mwonson. Iaa min kilissou reen náái sounpatak kewe, pwe úkkúúkún iáái kile, iaa angai sangei iáái sukuul reer. Amwusaala iáái tipis kare mii mwáál meet iké makkei.
Source: Kapasen Mwoshlók: Speech of the Mortlocks
Information about Mortlockese | Tower of Babel
Information about Mortlockese
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortlockese_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/mrl
https://unravellingmag.com/articles/kapasen-mwoshlok/
Carolinian, Chuukese, Kiribati (Gilbertese), Kosraean, Marshallese, Mokilese, Mortlockese, Nauruan, Pááfang, Pingelapese, Pohnpeian, Puluwatese, Satawalese, Sonsorolese, Tobian, Ulithian, Woleaian
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 21.05.23
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