Gela (Nggela)

Gela is a member of the Southeast Solomonic group of Oceanic languages. It is spoken by about 12,000 people in the Nggela (Florida) Islands in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. In particular, Gela speakers are found on the islands of Big Nggela (Nggela Sule), Small Nggela (Nggela Pile), and Sandfly (Mboko ni Mbeti). There are also Gela speakers on Buenavista, Guadalcanal and Savo islands.

Gela is also known as Nggela, and used to be known as Florida. There are three dialects: Central Gela, which is spoken on Big Nggela Island, Gela Pile, which is spoken on Little Nggela Island, and Sandfly, which is spoken on Sandfly Island. They differ mainly in pronunciation.

Gela was first written by missionaries from the Melanesian Mission of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, who published a Gela translation of the scriptures from the Bible in 1882.

Gela alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Gela (Excel)

Sample text (The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4)

Ma Jesus te bosa vanira, “Tana bona kau kokoeliulivuti ke, ma kau bosaa ma kau ghaghua, Mama, te tabu na Ahamu. Ke mai nimua na kinakabu.
Heghai mai na vanga te manamami tughu bongi,
Mo ko talukehai na lei palumami te vaghai tai talukehai na lei paludira tana hahi tara nea vanighai.

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1639/LUK.11.AIA

Translation

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample video

Information about Gela | Numbers

Links

Information about Gela
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gela_language
http://olac.ldc.upenn.edu/language/nlg
https://docs.verbix.com/Languages/Gela
https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofngge0000foxc
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20703245

Southeast Solomonic languages

ꞌAreꞌare, Arosi, Gela, Ghari, Kahua, Kwaio, Kwara’ae, Lau, Lengo, Longgu, Oroha, Owa, Sa'a, Santa Cruz, Talise

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 20.02.24. Last modified: 14.07.24

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