All international flights coming into and going out of Papua New Guinea is through Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby. As such, for international visitors and tourists coming into the country, the city is the first place to land. Then they can transit to other 21 provinces.
When visiting Port Moresby or Papua New Guinea, visitors must be aware of the different languages the natives speak. Papua New Guinea a unique country in the world because it is a culturally very diverse nation and has over 800 languages. Linguists have documented these 800 languages, and most of these languages are spoken by people and tribes in the different parts of the country.
So, the common question most visitors ask is this. How do people communicate with each other and to foreigners? The answer is, PNG New Guineans speak three languages that are kind of common languages around the country. English, Tok Pisin and Motu.
English as the Official Language of Papua New Guinea.
During the colonial days, on November 6, 1884, a British Protectorate was proclaimed over the southern part of the country, now called the Papua or Southern Region and it’s adjacent islands. The protectorate was called British New Guinea and was annexed outright on Sept 4th 1888. The possession was placed under the Authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1902.
Following the passing of the Papua Act of 1905, British New Guinea became the Territory of Papua and formal Australian administration began in 1906.
The northern part of the country which includes the New Guinea Islands was under the German rule. Mainly merchants who run the cocoa and coconut plantations on the coastal villages and islands.
During 1941 Japanese invaded the northern parts and advanced into Port Moresby in which many Japanese, PNG Nationals and Australians lost their lives in the war. Later in 1945-1946 following the surrender of Japan, the North and south were joined with an administrative union and Papua New Guinea was born as a nation.
After World War I, Australia was given a mandate to administer the northern German New Guinea by the League of Nations (later evolved into United Nations). Then eventually in Sept 16th 1975, Papua New Guinea got Independence from Australia.
Because of this historical connection with Britain and Australia, English become the official language of Papua New Guinea. English is the medium of education from elementary school to tertiary education to this date. Visitors who can read and speak English will have no communication barriers when visiting in the country or the city of Port Moresby.
Tok Pisin (Pidgin)
Tok Pisin (Pidgin) (literally meaning Bird Talk) is a language that emerged from the cocoa, copra and sugar cane plantations in the country. The Germans who occupied the northern part brought in laborers from several nations like Malaysia, China, and other Malaysian countries. The extensive multilingualism that resulted called for a lingua franca. Therefore, it’s a mixture of different languages. When most of the laborers and colonizers left the country, Tok Pisin evolved as the nations second national language. This is due to the fact that PNG has over 800 native languages, tok pisin took a deep root in the society. Today, almost anyone in the country can speak tok pisin.
Tok Pisin has no grammar rules. So most of the time, people will throw in a mix of English words, though this can cause a bit of problem in understanding the meaning behind the expressions. For example, here is Pidgin word which often surprises English Speakers.
TokPisin word “ Kisim”. (to mean “Get it”). In English it may sound like “ Kiss him”
Most of the Tok Pisin written words or expressions are pronounced quiet similar to the same way English words are pronounced but may mean and spell differently.
All in all Tok Pisin is easy to learn and most English speakers will get along well with a bit of practice and patience.
Motu Language
Motu language is spoken along the Southern parts of the country. Particularly the native villages near the capital Port Moresby. It is not quite popular in other parts of the country.
Tribal languages in Papua New Guinea.
The residents of Port Moresby come from all parts of the country. As such, local people still maintain their culture and language. So, it is quiet common to hear people communicating to each other in their different native languages. For most foreign visitors, and residents, English and Tok-Pisin (if they can learn the basic of it ) are the common languages spoken in the city.
Visitors from Other Non-English-Speaking Nations.
Visitors who speak other international languages such as German, French, Spanish etc will have to arrange for someone to translate English and vice versa for them. Most of the hotels, shopping centers, domestic airlines, airport, banks, shops and restaurants in the city don’t have multilingual staff to assist with language translations. So, it’a good to ask the staff if you need assistance to translate.
For more detail information on the Tok Pisin language development and background visit www.wikiwand.com
