Teop

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A language of Papua New Guinea

ISO 639-3
tio
Alternate Names
Teapu, Tiop
User Population

6,000 (Mosel 2015).

Location

Bougainville province: Tinputz district, northeast.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western Oceanic, Meso Melanesian, New Ireland, South New Ireland-Northwest Solomonic, Nehan-North Bougainville, Saposa-Tinputz
Dialects

Taunita, Coastal Teop, Rausara (Rausiara), Kosina Mohina, Manava. Coastal Teop speakers understand other dialects, and vice versa. Lexical similarity: Coastal Teop 84% with Rausara, 73% with Taunita dialects.

Typology

SVO; 3 noun classes.

Language Use

Some dislike borrowed words entering Teop. Home. Some young people, all adults. Positive attitudes. All also use Tok Pisin [tpi] (Mosel 2015). Used as L2 by Papapana [ppn].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L1: 60%–85%. Literacy rate in L2: High. Dictionary. Texts. Bible portions: 1958–1966.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Teop
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Christian.