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Hiri Motu language

NameHiri Motu
RegionPapua New Guinea
Speakers120,000 (use declining since 1965)
FamilycolorAustronesian
Fam2Malayo-Polynesian
Fam3Oceanic
Fam4Western Oceanic
Fam5Papuan Tip
Fam6Central Papuan Tip
Fam7Sinagoro � Keapara
NationPapua New Guinea
Iso1ho|iso2=hmo|iso3=hmo

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Hiri Motu, (also known as Police Motu or Pidgin Motu) is an official language of Papua New Guinea. It is a simplified version of Motu and although it is strictly neither a pidgin nor a creole it possesses some features of both language types. Phonological and grammatical differences mean not only that Hiri Motu speakers cannot understand Motu, but also that Motu speakers not exposed to Hiri Motu have similar difficulties, though the languages are lexically very similar, and retain a common Austronesian syntactical basis.

Unlike Tok Pisin its use has been in decline for many years.


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