Motu
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western, Papuan Tip)
Motu is the indigenous Austronesian language of the Motu people of the Central Province of Papua New Guinea, centred on the Hanuabada villages near Port Moresby. The pure form has only ~14K active speakers, but Motu is the lexical source for Hiri Motu (hmo), the simplified pidgin that became one of PNG's three official languages. Motu has full Austronesian morphology including subject/object person markers, alienable/inalienable possession, and the characteristic Oceanic pronoun system, all of which Hiri Motu drastically simplified in the colonial trade context. Lister-Turner & Clark's 1931 grammar remains authoritative.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Motu
Water
ranu
/ɾanu/
Fire
lahi
/lahi/
Sun
dina
/dina/
Moon
hua
/hua/
Star
hisiu
/hisiu/
Mother
sinana
/sinana/
Father
tamana
/tamana/
I
lau
/lau/
You
oi
/oi/
Name
ladana
/ladana/
Eye
matana
/matana/
Hand
ima
/ima/
Heart
kudouna
/kudouna/
Love
lalokau
/lalokau/
Tree
au
/au/
House
ruma
/ɾuma/
Dog
sisia
/sisia/
Cat
gosi
/ɡosi/
Eat
aniani
/aniani/
Drink
inuinu
/inuinu/
One
ta
/ta/
Two
rua
/rua/
Hello
namo gida
/namo ɡida/
Thank you
oi namo
/oi namo/
Good
namo
/namo/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western, Papuan Tip) languages
| Meaning | Motu | Hiri Motu | Tokelauan | Fijian | Tetum | Atoni | Niuean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ranu /ɾanu/ | ranu /ɾanu/ | vai /vai/ | wai /wai/ | bee /beː/ | oe /oe/ | vai /vai/ |
| Fire | lahi /lahi/ | lahi /lahi/ | afi /afi/ | buka /mbuka/ | ahi /ahi/ | ai /ai/ | afi /afi/ |
| Sun | dina /dina/ | dina /dina/ | la /la/ | matanisiga /matanisiŋa/ | loron /loɾon/ | manas /manas/ | lā /laː/ |
| Moon | hua /hua/ | hua /hua/ | malama /malama/ | vula /βula/ | fulan /fulan/ | fun /fun/ | mahina /mahina/ |
| Star | hisiu /hisiu/ | hisiu /hisiu/ | fetu /fetu/ | kalokalo /kalokalo/ | fitun /ˈfitun/ | kfu /kfuʔ/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ |
| Mother | sinana /sinana/ | sina /sina/ | mātua /maːtua/ | tina /tina/ | inan /inan/ | ainaf /ainaf/ | matua fifine /matua fifine/ |
| Father | tamana /tamana/ | tama /tama/ | tamana /tamana/ | tama /tama/ | aman /aman/ | amat /amat/ | matua taane /matua taːne/ |
| I | lau /lau/ | lau /lau/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | ha'u /haʔu/ | au /au/ | au /au/ |
| You | oi /oi/ | oi /oi/ | koe /koe/ | iko /iko/ | ó /ɔ/ | ho /ho/ | koe /koe/ |
| Name | ladana /ladana/ | ladana /laˈdana/ | igoa /iŋoa/ | yaca /jaða/ | naran /ˈnaran/ | kanan /ˈkanan/ | higoa /hiˈŋoa/ |
| Eye | matana /matana/ | matana /matana/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | matan /matan/ | matan /matan/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | ima /ima/ | ima /ima/ | lima /lima/ | liga /liŋa/ | liman /liman/ | ʼniman /ʔniman/ | lima /lima/ |
| Heart | kudouna /kudouna/ | kudouna /kudouna/ | fatu /fatu/ | uto /uto/ | fuan /fuan/ | nesa /nesa/ | fatu /fatu/ |
| Love | lalokau /lalokau/ | lalokau /lalokau/ | alofa /alofa/ | loloma /loloma/ | domin /domin/ | nekat /nekat/ | fakaalofa /fakaalofa/ |
| Tree | au /au/ | au /au/ | lakau /lakau/ | kau /kau/ | ai /ai/ | hau /hau/ | akau /akau/ |
| House | ruma /ɾuma/ | ruma /ɾuma/ | fale /fale/ | vale /βale/ | uma /uma/ | ume /ume/ | fale /fale/ |
| Dog | sisia /sisia/ | sisia /sisia/ | kuli /kuli/ | koli /koli/ | asu /asu/ | asu /asu/ | kuli /kuli/ |
| Cat | gosi /ɡosi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | busa /busa/ | mose /mose/ | pusi /pusi/ |
| Eat | aniani /aniani/ | ania /ania/ | kai /kai/ | kana /kana/ | han /han/ | ah /ah/ | kai /kai/ |
| Drink | inuinu /inuinu/ | inua /inua/ | inu /inu/ | gunu /ŋunu/ | hemu /hemu/ | ninu /ninu/ | inu /inu/ |
| One | ta /ta/ | ta /ta/ | tahi /tahi/ | dua /ndua/ | ida /ida/ | mese /mese/ | taha /taha/ |
| Two | rua /rua/ | rua /rua/ | lua /lua/ | rua /rua/ | rua /ˈrua/ | nua /ˈnua/ | ua /ua/ |
| Hello | namo gida /namo ɡida/ | namona /namona/ | malo ni /malo ni/ | bula /mbula/ | bondia /bondia/ | neut /neut/ | fakaalofa atu /fakaalofa atu/ |
| Thank you | oi namo /oi namo/ | tanikiu /tanikiu/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ | vinaka /βinaka/ | obrigadu /obɾiɡadu/ | neno biluk /neno biluk/ | fakaaue /fakaaue/ |
| Good | namo /namo/ | namo /namo/ | lelei /lelei/ | vinaka /βinaka/ | di'ak /diʔak/ | malaek /malaek/ | mitaki /mitaki/ |
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