People in the Yabong language area grow large amounts of peanuts for their own consumption and for sale locally in Madang. However, those in the other areas do not grow as many.
3.1.16 Bilingualism with other vernaculars
In general, only a few people in each village know the neighbouring languages, and usually not very well. There does not seem to be any particular prestige in knowing other vernacular languages, and
speakers of these other languages show little interest in learning Yabong, Migum, Nekgini or Neko, unless they have marriage ties with one of those languages.
There are, however, fairly complex exceptions. Due to this complexity, the information has been separated by language and village.
Yabong language The people of Masi claimed that there are some people from each age group who are passively bilingual
in neighbouring languages including Neko, Nekgini, Migum, Iyo or Karo. Elderly men and women are also able to speak these languages.
Bidua claimed that everyone speaks the Karo dialect, but nobody understands or speaks any of the other neighbouring vernaculars.
Basor also claimed that almost everyone, except boys and middle-aged women, speak the Karo dialect, but only ‘a few’ boys and middle-aged women can. They also claimed that all the elderly men
and women speak Migum, some of the middle-aged and young women speak Migum and very few of the middle-aged and younger men and children speak Migum. It appears that the ability to understand
Migum is being lost as time passes. Nobody understands or speaks any of the other neighbouring vernaculars.
Baded claimed that all the middle-aged and elderly people, both men and women, can speak Karo. They also said that some of their middle-aged men can understand the Migum language, while some of
the elderly men can both understand and speak it. Within the Yabong language area, bilingualism with Karo appears to be the result of marriage and
other relationship patterns, such as children attending school in the Karo-speaking village of Dein. Migum language
Lamtub stated that while some of their adults can understand but not speak Yabong, only a few of their children can understand it.
Singor claimed that they are not able to understand or speak any other vernacular languages. Nekgini language
Sorang and Asang claimed that they are not able to understand or speak any other vernacular languages. Reite claimed that a small number of their people can speak Iyo and Ngaing and a small number
can understand but not speak the Migum language. Serieng claimed that everyone except the children can understand but not speak Ngaing.
The fact that Reite and Serieng report more bilingualism than the other two Nekgini villages is probably related to the contact they have with neighbouring languages. Reite’s contact seems to be due
to the aid post and the school, which has students from the Neko and Ngaing language areas. Serieng is close to the Ngaing border, bringing greater contact with Ngaing-speaking people.
Neko language Damoing and Warai claimed that they are not able to understand or speak any other vernacular
languages.
3.1.17 Summary
