Tobian language

Tobian
Native to	Palau
Region	Hatohobei, Koror, Sonsorol
Native speakers	22 (1995)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Micronesian Proper Trukic Echangese Tobian
Language codes
ISO 639-3	tox
Glottolog	tobi1238[2]

Tobian (Tobian: ramarih Hatohobei, literally "the language of Tobi") is the language of Tobi, one of the Southwest Islands of Palau, and the main island of Hatohobei state. Tobian is a Micronesian language spoken by approximately 150 people.

Tobian and the dialects of Sonsorol, Merir, and Pulo Anna, the other inhabited Southwest Islands, are closely related to the languages spoken in the Federated States of Micronesia outer islands of Yap and Truk Lagoon.

These days most Tobian speakers live in Echang, a hamlet of Koror, the former capital of Palau. Tobian and Sonsorolese are very close, and appear to be gradually merging towards a new dialect called "Echangese".

Examples

• animal = mar
• coconut palm = ruh
• goodbye = sabuho
• language = ramarih
• soldierfish = red

Counting

• one = sewo
• two = huwou
• three = soruo
• four = fauwo

This is only base counting. There are different numerals for a lot of different objects. ^[3]

References

1. Tobian at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
2. Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Tobian". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
3. Base Counting Words by Isauro Andrew Isauro Andrew

External links

• Tobian language at Friends of Tobi Island