According to Barbara Hodgkinson and STEP
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participants Michael Brugei and Samson Anis, there are some school materials in the Yabong and Nekgini languages. These were completed during an
Alphabet Design Workshop in Masi village in 2006. They may be used in the vernacular preschools in the Yabong village of Masi and the Nekgini villages of Sorang and Reite.
1.3 Language name and classification
Yabong is classified by Ethnologue Lewis 2009 as Trans-New Guinea, Madang, Rai Coast, Yoganon. Migum is is referred to in Ethnologue Lewis 2009 as Kolom and is classified as: Trans-New Guinea,
Madang, Rai Coast, Kabenau. Nekgini and Neko are classified by Ethnologue Lewis 2009 as Trans-New Guinea, Finisterre-Huon,
Finisterre, Gusap-Mot. Figure 1 shows the language classification of each according to Ethnologue. The ISO code for each
language is in square brackets. The four languages surveyed are listed in bold blue. Trans-New Guinea
Madang Rai Coast
Yaganon Dumun [dui]
Ganglau [ggl] Saep [spd]
Yabong [ybo]
Kabenau Arawum [awm]
Migum [klm]
Lemio [lei] Pulabu [pup]
Siroi [ssd] Trans-New Guinea
Finisterre-Huon Finisterre
Gusap-Mot Iyo [nca]
Madi [grg]
Nekgini [nkg] Neko [nej]
Ngaing [nnf] Rawa [rwo]
Ufim [ufi] have current language projects
have completed language projects Figure 1. Language classification according to Ethnologue Lewis 2009.
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Strengthening Tokples Education in Papua New Guinea, an SIL initiative to promote local language education.
1.4 Population
The 2000 National Census National Statistics Office 2002 gives the following information on the population of villages in Yabong, Migum, Nekgini and Neko. All the wards are in the Rai Coast Rural
district.
Table 1. Village populations Ward
Village Households
Persons Yabong
Ward 21 Masi
25 115
Ward 24 Basor
58 345
Bidua 15
101 Gogou
20 123
Ward 27 Baded
70 377
Deging 27
146 Sinange
24 141
Wado 24
155 Total Yabong 8 villages
263 1503
Neko Ward 15
Sereng 5
27 Yori
27 168
Ward 17 Warai
42 223
Ward 18 Damoing
33 220
Total Neko 4 villages
107 638
Nekgini Ward 18
Asang 25
146 Reite
44 247
Serieng 25
136 Ward 21
Sorang 29
163 Total Nekgini 4 villages
123 692
Migum Ward 17
Lamtub 48
304 Singor
32 168
Total Migum 2 villages
80 472
1.5 Goals
The goals of this survey were to: •
distinguish language and dialect boundaries and •
investigate language vitality.
2 Methodology
To address the above goals, the survey team used observations; group interviews guided by the standard SIL-PNG survey questionnaires designed to investigate language use, language attitudes and contact
patterns; and wordlists to investigate language and dialect boundaries. Interviews with church and school leadership were used to determine the level of institutional support towards a language
development project.
2.1 Tools
