Audio New Testament now in Bislama

I mentioned a few weeks back that there is exciting news soon to come for Latin: the entire New Testament will soon be recorded and put online for free in Latin, a very big step in the revival of Latin as a spoken language. There is some other good news for rare languages though: Bislama has also recently been added. Bislama is an English creole spoken in Vanuatu, very similar to Tok Pisin, and also my favourite English creole. It's like a slightly terser version of Tok Pisin with a tad of French influence, and extremely hard to find good material for. Even now for example the Bislama Wikipedia has just 381 articles, and finding text with matching audio...is pretty much impossible. The best course material I've been able to find for free has been a Peace Corps textbook that I printed out a few years ago. The Bible also happens to be the longest book published in the entire language, and with matching audio the language has turned from one that is nearly impossible to learn to fluency online into one that is now doable. Still a very limited subject area, but nevertheless much, much easier to learn than before.

This link for example leads to Matthew chapter 5 - click on the play button to hear the matching audio and enjoy listening to and reading Bislama at the same time for what is probably your first time.

Other languages I like in particular that were added this time around: Kazakh and Uyghur. Kazakh I'm particularly pleased about.

Latin is supposed to come out this month (October), so stay tuned!

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Bislama, Tok Pisin and other rare languages at Worldlanguagemovies on YouTube

Last month I wrote a post on the difference between Eastern and Western Armenian, which included two videos from a YouTube account called Worldlanguagemovies. The account has a total of 2439 (!) uploads, most of which are the same short videos recorded in as many languages as possible, and the subject is pretty basic Protestant theology - man was born into sin, needs Jesus for salvation, that sort of thing. Not the most interesting subject matter even for a Christian (something written by Origen would be an example of something truly interesting), but it's easy to understand which is a plus. Looking for the script for the video in Armenian I emailed them after writing the post, and unfortunately they don't have the script for Armenian yet but I was provided with this link, which gives scripts for some of the videos and recordings they have and there might be something there for those looking for content, any content, in some pretty rare languages. Most of the languages there I haven't even heard of before, to be honest. Varisi, Umbundu, Nyungwe, Helong, hundreds of languages are recoded there that are scarcely available anywhere else.

Using Tok Pisin as an example: go to their YouTube page, click on see all then search for Tok Pisin. One of the two videos is this one:



and a lot of dedicated searching eventually brings up this page, and the script for the video starts down at Picture 17 (Piska 17). It's not the easiest task to match up video and script, but those studying extremely rare languages are certainly already used to long searches for very little content, and are happy to find anything they can.

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Father of Korean family living in Vanuatu has a blog

Today on TV was a rerun of a documentary from last year about a Korean family that had moved to Vanuatu four years ago. Their life in Korea was pretty much a hectic mess with lots of late work and company drinking and other types of stress, and one day they decided to up and move to Vanuatu. Now in Vanuatu they run a hotel and send their children to schools where they learn both English and French (and assumedly Bislama from their schoolmates) and the rest of their life looks pretty idyllic with the ocean right next to them, lots of free fruit and other things to eat straight from trees nearby, and the overall relaxed nature of the country itself.

He also has a blog, which is here. It's all in Korean and has quite a bit of good information about recent developments, such as a rumoured direct airline route from Seoul to Vanuatu, and a paved highway that has finally started construction and will be completed next year. Here's an image of a sign announcing the construction.

The site also has a lot of videos, such as this one from today driving down a part of the newly paved road, which apparently wasn't there just two months ago. They also talk about how dusty the old road used to be, and that this new road is like Vanuatu's Autobahn.

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A bit on the subtleties of Bislama

A search on Google News for the word Bislama (and Tok Pisin) usually turns up nothing at all, or otherwise just a travel article on Vanuatu giving a quick mention that "the locals speak a pidgin/creole called Bislama" before going back to describing the country as a travel destination.

A recent search using the term though actually turned up an article about Bislama and Bislama alone, namely about a false confidence some English speakers have in using the language due to its familiarity when sometimes a word can mean something slightly (or very) different. The article doesn't go into a great amount of detail, but that may just be due to a restricted article length and the author has left her e-mail address at the bottom for those that have questions.

Bislama also happens to be the only creole language with a translation on Ted.com, a short video that you can see here:



The person that did the translation there is given as meli.barnes, though I can't seem to find any more information there.

Here's a quick bit from the video showing the English original and the Bislama translation. Note how much longer the latter tends to be.

This map. This map shows the number of seconds that American network cable news organizations dedicated to news stories by country in February of 2007.

Map ia. Map ia i soem nam blong ol seken we olgeta netwok blong nius blong Amerika mo ol rigin nius oganaesesen i bin yusum blong talemaot stori long saed blong ol nius long every kantri raon long wol, long February 2007-wan yia i pas nomo.

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What does Inuktitut sound like?

Inuktitut dialect map with labels in Inuktitut inuujingajut or local roman alphabet. /Carte des dialectes d'Inuktitut avec étiquettes en Inuktitut inuujingajut ou en alphabet latin standard.

I'm still looking for a good video on YouTube or anywhere else of Bislama simply being spoken in a normal and clear context (not a song, not a low-quality recording of someone on the street in the middle of a conversation). Probably the best way to hear a language spoken for the first time is in an informative recording such as a piece of news or something you might hear at a museum, and this account on YouTube has exactly what I'm talking about for Inuktitut. What's even better about the videos there is that the ones with Inuktitut also have a French and/or English video of the exact same subject, making it easy to compare.

(Vanuatu government officials, how about making something like this in English, French and Bislama?)

Here's one of them. First French:



then English:



then Inuktitut:




That's perfect. Here's another example. First French:



then Inuktitut:



How about it, Vanuatu? I think I'll email someone in the government there and see what they say.

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Francophone students in Bislama to attend Emalus Campus of University of the South Pacific before going overseas

Carte de Vanuatu avec la Nouvelle-Calédonie. New Caledonia is right next to Vanuatu, making French useful on the island nation despite the lack of French everywhere else in the region.

At least, I think that's what this article is about. It's in Bislama and you can read it here. I've made a few educated guesses when translating the article so it might be a bit inaccurate in places.

Vanuatu is in a pretty interesting position geographically and linguistically: it has Bislama, English and French as official languages (plus around 200 other languages, making the presence of Bislama crucial for communication between peoples), and French remains useful due to New Caledonia being located right next to Vanuatu (only 500 km away), so it's not just a useless vestige of colonialism.

Ol Frankofon student we I stap long level blong go long university ovasi, I mas atendem Emalus Campus blong University blong South Pacific long Port Vila festaem, bifo oli save go.

Francophone students that are on the level to go to university overseas must first attend the Emalus Campus of the University of the South Pacific in Port Vila, before they can go.

Ol ripot I talem se hemia I folem wan disisen we gavman blong Vanuatu I tekem blong givim taem long ol niufala student we I rere blong go ovasi, blong oli save lanem laif blong wan university bifo oli save go ovasi.

The report says that the decision of the government of Vanuatu gives time to new students that are ready to go overseas, so they can learn about university life before they are able to go overseas.

Oli talem se gavman I mekem disisen folem sam negative ripot we oli kasem long said blong ol student blong Vanuatu we I go stadi long university long Noumea, New Caledonia.

They say that the government made this decision following some negative reports that they (should?) get on the side of Vanuatu students that are going to study in university in Noumea, New Caledonia.

Plande Frankofon student I stap go rejista finis long Emalus Campus. Rejistresen I klos long Fraede namba 20 Februare.

(Plenty?) Francophone students are finishing registration at Emalus Campus. Registration closes on Friday, 20 February.

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Australian High Commissioner Pablo Kang speaks fluent Bislama

From an only slightly related article here: "Australia I stap givim samwe long 1.3 milien vatu I go long Vanuatu blong help mentenem ol rod long rurol Vanuatu. Mane ia I kam anda long wan niufala program we oli kolem Vanuatu Transport Sector Support Program."

See:

Australian High Commissioner Pablo Kang confirmed the government of Australia has donated VT 460 million (or AUD 6m) to Vanuatu for the malaria elimination program covering the next three years to 2011.

Mr Kang made the announcement during a press conference at the Prime the Minister’s Office on the malaria elimination programme in Vanuatu.

Mr Kang, who speaks Bislama fluently, said his government has put its emphasis on the health sector, because there will be no work, no school, nothing to achieve if people are sick and spend their life only in hospital or home.

I noted another Australian politician that speaks the language fluently here. Thus far I've had no success though finding a video of any of these people speaking the language. They must exist though; where can we find them? Almost all the videos in Bislama on YouTube are missionary material and songs, but I want to find something much simpler: just a video of a few people sitting down at the table and talking in Bislama about anything.

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News in Bislama now available for the first time by cell phone anywhere in Vanuatu / Une première au Vanuatu avec les infos sur les portables

Vanuatu i kaontri long pasifik we olgeta save tok tok long Bislama. Kapital blong hem i Port Vila. Hemi independent aot blong British mo Frenis long July 1980.

Here's a really cool piece of news I found here en français:

Une première au Vanuatu avec les infos sur les portables - La population a depuis mercredi dernier accès à l’information sur les portables à la suite d’un accord signé entre l’Association des médias du Vanuatu et la société de téléphonie mobile Digicel. Des journalistes locaux et membres de l’Association téléchargeront tous les jours des infos sur un site Internet. Ces informations seront ensuite transmises sur les téléphones portables sous forme de message SMS. Cette nouvelle technologie permettra aux habitants du Vanuatu d’avoir accès à des informations rédigées en Bislama à n’importe quel endroit où ils se trouvent sur leur île.

English: A first in Vanuatu with information by portable phone - The population since last Wednesday has had access to information on their cellphones as a result of an accord signed between the Vanuatu Media Association and the telephone company Digicel. Local journalists and members of the Association will load information daily on a website. These pieces of information will then be transmitted to portable phones as SMS messages. This new technology will permit inhabitants of Vanuatu to have access to information written in Bislama no matter where they are located on their island.


On a related note: it seems that Digicel also powers 60% of its Vanuatu network using wind and solar energy:

The Vanuatu arm of multi-national operator, Digicel has completed the second phase of its green power network implementation and is using wind and solar energy solutions to power 25 base stations on the Pacific archipelago. Digicel, which is the leading mobile operator in Vanuatu, now carries more than 60% of its network traffic on base stations powered by renewable energy sources.

Typically, off-grid base stations have been powered by generators running on diesel, which is increasingly erratic in price, is costly to distribute and generates carbon dioxide emissions. Digicel's approach of using solar, wind and hybrid power provides a more cost-effective and reliable solution than either solar cells or wind turbines alone, to bring GSM coverage to some of the most remote communities in Vanuatu.

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Australian Ambassador to Micronesia Susan Cox speaks Bislama

Ostrelia i kaontri long Pasifik we olgeta save tok tok long English. Kapital blong hem i Canberra. Praem minister blong Ostrelia hemi Kevin Rudd. Kween blong Ostrelia hemi Elisabet II.

Assuming she didn't spend any/much time in Vanuatu besides her period there from 1998 to 2001 (which could be anywhere from a bit over two to almost four years), she probably became fluent in the language during that period alone. I've seen a few other blogs here and there written by people that have spent some time there and they claim to be more or less fluent in the language too.

Here's what the article (Saipan Tribune) says:

According to the Australia's DFAT website, prior to her appointment to Micronesia, Cox served as director in her country's Post Security Task Force. Cox has served as deputy high commissioner in Port Vila from 1998 to 2001 and as vice-consul in Noumea from 1990 to 1993. She has also served in Cairo.

...

Cox was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia for her role in the management of the response to the Bali bombings in October 2002. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Canberra and was awarded a University medal in 1997. She speaks French and Bislama.

Here's her official page on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I think I'll try to get in contact with them to see if there are any appearances of her in the media or elsewhere speaking in Bislama (or anything she's written in the language). We Bislama fans have a hard time finding much in the language, you see.

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Home-schooling in Vanuatu on the island of Tanna

The island of Tanna in Vanuatu.

Here's an article on a subject you don't usually get to read about. A Canadian family with seven children have moved to the island of Tanna in Vanuatu to provide medical services to the people who live there, and in the meantime their children are being home-schooled.

I plan to visit Vanuatu myself eventually but I'm not sure whether Tanna will be on the list of places to stay:

As 15-year-old Shaina was climbing down a canyon of black sandstone, the seemingly solid ledge beneath her feet suddenly gave way, and she fell 20 feet into a pit of quicksand. Miraculously, her brother Reuben caught her, saving her life.

The islands are filled with active volcanoes, and earthquakes and tsunamis are common.

"We're getting good at dodging lava bombs," reports daughter Rachael, 16, "and it's difficult to navigate around the volcano in the dark; sometimes we've ended up right at the crater's edge!"

Yeah, dodging lava bombs. Not sure about whether I want to acquire that skill myself. The article has a bit on Bislama too:

"First, we have religious studies, which can last anywhere from two hours to five minutes. Then, three days a week, we learn Bislama, the native tongue. We go and teach at the primary school, and since the kids only speak Bislama, we learn most of it there.

"Then, we have our science class, also known as 'Dokta studies.' Heather [a family friend along for the trip] and Reuben go on rounds with Dan, learning how to diagnose strange diseases. Shaina and I learn from the nurses, helping deliver and resuscitate babies, which can happen at random times, but seem to favor midnight as the best birthing time."

Good to see they referred to Bislama as the native tongue. Too many articles refer to it (and Tok Pisin too) as a pidgin or a simple local dialect.


The Wikipedia article on the largest town on the island of Tanna (Isangel) is still only a total of two sentences. That family on the island might be one of the few people that would be able to significantly expand it some day (no idea what internet access is like on Tanna).

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Free Bislama newspaper launched: The Vanuatu Wikli Post

Aerial view of central Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu.

This is from a month ago:

Vanuatu’s first ever-free distribution Bislama language newspaper, the Vanuatu Wikli Post has been officially launched this week.

Over 3000 copies of the 100% Bislama language Wikli Post newspaper will be distributed to every airstrip on the Air Vanuatu domestic network over the course of a week and from there they will be picked up and distributed to different communities to read, pass around and share. It is anticipated that many people will share one copy and often in communities they will be read out to everyone.

Based on experiences in 1993 when a similar monthly newspaper was trialed, a staggering number of people shared one copy and papers were still being read and passed around months later.

Here's how they are making sure the language is standardized:

The newspaper has utilised the TVET Bislama language spell check to ensure that the Bislama used in the paper is standardised. People interested in putting news and advertising in the paper are urged to contact newly appointed editor Ricky Binihi and Advertising manager John Patterson for further details. Free translation of advertisements into Bislama is also offered.

The Wikli Post is expected to attract considerable interest and support from multi national companies who sell products in trade stores nationwide, as well as NGO’s, government departments and businesses interested in promoting their products in the national language in the only free distribution newspaper aimed at rural Vanuatu where the bulk of the population resides.

The image on the article has the following headlines:

• Kakae plante moa lokol kakae: Leong
• 360 man blong stanap long Septemba

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