Adults’ reported language use

3.1.3 Adults’ reported language use

Yabong language Masi, Bidua and Basor reported using only Yabong for interactions between all age and gender groups. Baded village reported using only Yabong for interactions between all age and gender groups with a few exceptions. Along with using Yabong, middle-aged men also use Tok Pisin with their wives. Adults reported using both Tok Pisin and Yabong to talk to children, and observations confirmed this report. Adults were observed speaking to children thirty five times, and seventeen of these interactions were in Yabong, while eighteen were in Tok Pisin. 7 Migum language Lamtub reported that people use only Migum for interactions between all age and gender groups. Singor reported that people use both Migum and Tok Pisin for interactions between all age and gender groups. Nekgini language Both Sorang and Asang reported using primarily Nekgini for interactions between all age and gender groups with only the following exceptions: in Sorang, interviewees reported that middle-aged men use both Nekgini and Tok Pisin when talking with their wives, and old men reportedly use both languages when talking to children; in Asang, they reported that young men use both Nekgini and Tok Pisin when talking to their immediate family. Reite reported using Nekgini for interactions between all age and gender groups, but Tok Pisin is also reported as being used by young and middle-aged people of both genders. An exception to this is the parents of middle-aged women. They do not talk to the middle-aged women or their children in Tok Pisin. Data about the use of Tok Pisin by elderly women in Reite was inadvertently not collected. Serieng reported using both Nekgini and Tok Pisin for interactions between all age and gender groups with the following exception: Tok Pisin is not used by young men when talking to their parents. Neko language Damoing and Warai reported using Neko for interactions between all age and gender groups, and Tok Pisin is also used by young and middle-aged people of both genders. However, the parents of young women in Damoing do not speak to them in Tok Pisin, and men in Warai do not talk to their parents in Tok Pisin, nor do their parents use Tok Pisin to speak to them. Also in Warai, women do not talk to their immediate family using Tok Pisin. Elderly men and women do not use Tok Pisin, except when elderly men in Warai scold their grandchildren.

3.1.4 Adults’ observed language use