The HiriMotuLanguage is a MotuBasedPidginLanguage of PapuaNewGuinea. SIL code: POM. ISO 639-1: ho. ISO 639-2: hmo. Population: Interethnic second language speakers: 120,000 (1989 J. Holm). Very few mother tongue speakers (T. Dutton 1992). Region: Central Province, in and around Port Moresby area, also throughout Oro, Central, Gulf, and part of Milne Bay provinces, some in Western Province. Alternate names: POLICE MOTU, PIDGIN MOTU, HIRI. Dialects: AUSTRONESIAN HIRI MOTU, PAPUAN HIRI MOTU. Comments: Linguistically a pidginization of True Motu. Also influenced by English, Tok Pisin, and Polynesian languages. Speakers of Hiri Motu cannot understand Motu. There are phonological and grammatical differences. 90% lexical similarity with Motu. Papuan Hiri Motu is more widespread and considered as the standard. Official language. Dictionary. Literacy rate in first language: Less than 5%. Bible 1994.(extract from http://www.ethnologue.com/)
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