Gilbertese, called te taetae ni Kiribati by its speakers, is the de facto national language of Kiribati , a Pacific island nation. [1] It is also widely known simply as Kiribati , the same name as the country itself.

The Gilbertese Alphabet — Latin Script of Kiribati

Q: How many letters are in the Gilbertese alphabet?

Gilbertese has just 13 letters — A, B, E, I, K, M, N, NG, O, R, T, U, W — one of the smallest alphabets of any language. The digraph NG is counted as a single letter representing one nasal sound.

Q: Who created the written form of Gilbertese?

American missionary Hiram Bingham II devised the Latin-based orthography in the 1860s while translating the Bible into Gilbertese. [3] Before Bingham's work, Gilbertese had no established writing system.

Q: What language family does Gilbertese belong to?

Gilbertese belongs to the Micronesian branch of the Oceanic languages, part of the vast Austronesian family . [1] Its closest relatives include Marshallese and Nauruan , spoken on other central Pacific islands.

Q: How are long vowels and consonants written?

Since independence in 1979, long sounds have been written by doubling the letter , such as aa, ee, or nn. This distinction matters: a short and a long vowel can give the same word a completely different meaning .

Q: What makes the NG digraph unusual?

NG represents a single nasal sound , as in the English word "sing", rather than separate N and G sounds. The word te tanga (a dollar) shows the digraph in everyday use.

Q: Are there English loanwords in Gilbertese?

Yes — Gilbertese has absorbed many words from English, including te beeki (pig), te raiti (rice), and te auti (house). These loanwords were adapted to fit Gilbertese's 13-letter alphabet and simple syllable structure.

Q: Is Gilbertese the same as Kiribati?

Yes — Gilbertese and Kiribati are two names for the same language , both derived from the islands' English and local names. Kiribati is the local pronunciation of "Gilberts", the old English name for the island group.

Q: What script does Gilbertese use?

Gilbertese is written in the Latin script , introduced by missionaries in the 1860s . [3] Before that, Gilbertese was an unwritten oral language passed down through storytelling and chant.

Gilbertese at a Glance

13 letters: 5 vowels and 8 consonants — one of the smallest alphabets of any natural language
Gilbertese (te taetae ni Kiribati) is the de facto national language of Kiribati ^[1]
Kiribati's 2020 census recorded a total population of 119,438 ^[2]
Gilbertese belongs to the Micronesian branch of Oceanic languages, related to Marshallese and Nauruan ^[1]
The Latin-based orthography was devised in the 1860s by missionary Hiram Bingham II while translating the Bible ^[3]
The digraph NG represents a single nasal sound, as in the English word "sing"
Long vowels and consonants are shown by doubling the letter, such as aa, ee, or nn

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[b]

[k]

[m]

[n]

[ng]

[r]

[t]

[w]

[b]

Consonant B — as in te beeki (pig, borrowed from English "piggy"). A bilabial stop, as in the English word "boy".

[k]

Consonant K — as in Kiribati, the country's own name. A voiceless velar stop, as in the English word "kite".

[m]

Consonant M — as in mauri (a traditional greeting). A bilabial nasal, as in the English word "man".

[n]

Consonant N — as in Nareau, the creator figure of traditional Gilbertese mythology. An alveolar nasal, as in the English word "no".

[ng]

Digraph NG — as in te tanga (a dollar). A single velar nasal sound, like the "ng" in the English word "sing", never a separate "n" plus "g".

[r]

Consonant R — as in te raiti (rice, borrowed from English). A tapped rhotic, similar to the "r" in Spanish rather than English.

[t]

Consonant T — as in te tai (time, a watch, borrowed from English). A voiceless alveolar stop, as in the English word "top".

[w]

Consonant W — as in te wanikiba (airplane, literally "the canoe that flies"). A labial-velar approximant, as in the English word "way".

Vowel A — as in te auti (house).

Consonant B — as in te beeki (pig).

Vowel E — as in mauri (greeting).

Vowel I — as in te ika (fish).

Consonant K — as in Kiribati.

Consonant M — as in mauri (greeting).

Consonant N — as in Nareau.

Digraph NG — as in te tanga (a dollar).

Vowel O — as in Onotoa.

Consonant R — as in te raiti (rice).

Consonant T — as in te tai (time).

Vowel U — as in Butaritari.

Consonant W — as in te wanikiba (airplane).

Expand All Collapse All

What is Gilbertese?

How many letters are in the Gilbertese alphabet?

How many people speak Gilbertese?

Who created the written form of Gilbertese?

What language family does Gilbertese belong to?

How are long vowels and consonants written?

What makes the NG digraph unusual?

Are there English loanwords in Gilbertese?

Is Gilbertese the same as Kiribati?

What script does Gilbertese use?

References:

[1] Glottolog 5.x. "Gilbertese [gilb1244]" — de facto national language of Kiribati. Retrieved from Glottolog: Gilbertese
[2] Kiribati National Statistics Office. "Kiribati 2020 Population and Housing Census" — total population 119,438. Retrieved from NSO Kiribati: 2020 Population and Housing Census
[3] Yale University Library Archives. "Bingham Family Papers" — documents Hiram Bingham II's 1860s translation of the Bible into Gilbertese and development of its Latin-based orthography. Retrieved from Yale Archives: Bingham Family Papers