Gilbertese

Gilbertese, also known as Kiribati, is a language spoken by the I-Kiribati people on the Gilbert Islands in Micronesia. It is closely related to the other Micronesian languages, such as Marshallese and Chuukese. Gilbertese is a member of the Austronesian language family, which includes languages such as Hawaiian, Maori, and Malay. The Gilbertese language is written in a Latin-based alphabet, which was introduced by missionaries in the 19th century. The language has two main dialects: Butaritari and Tarawa. Butaritari is the dialect spoken on the island of Butaritari, while Tarawa is the dialect spoken on the island of Tarawa. There are approximately 50,000 speakers of Gilbertese, which is the official language of the Republic of Kiribati. Gilbertese is also one of the working languages of the Pacific Community, an intergovernmental organization that works to promote economic, social, and cultural development in the Pacific region.