Oroha

Oroha is a member of the Southeast Solomonic group of Oceanic Malayo-Polynesian languages. It is spoken by fewer than 40 people in four villages in the south of Small Malaita Island (Maramasike) in Malaita Province in east of the Solomon Islands. Most Oroha speakers are middle-aged or older. Younger Oroha people are shifting to other languages, such as Sa'a, which is spoken on Small Malaita and Ulawa islands.

Oroha is also known as Oraha, Oloha or Maramasike. It is closely related to Pau and Na'oni, which are also spoken on Little Malaita Island.

Oroha was first documented in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by linguists from Germany, New Zealand and Australia. It is written with the Latin alphabet.

Oroha alphabet and pronunciation

Notes

ʻ/' indicates that vowels are pronounced separately rather than enlongated or as a diphthong, or that a consonant has been removed
prefixes and suffixes are followed or preceded with -

Download an alphabet chart for Oroha (Excel)

Sample text

Nemo paina, mane ka ma'uma'u uni ine'ia ka ta'a, ka iria huni mane saia: "Nko waai'o ana ha'a poo, oko ha'asasa ro'u." Mane sala ka iria: "Siena ne'ia ka'u, ka sas ro'u."

Translation

There is a lot of rain, so the man fears that his yams are spoilt, and says to the man that knows, "I will reward you with shell money and pigs if you make the sun come out again." The man that knows says, "Good, wait awhile, and fine weather will come again."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oroha_language#Syntax

Sample videos

Information about Oroha | Numbers

Links

Information about Oroha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oroha_language
https://www.elararchive.org/dk0600/
http://olac.ldc.upenn.edu/language/ora
https://paradisec.org.au/fieldnotes/
https://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/channumerals/Oroha.htm

Southeast Solomonic languages

ꞌAreꞌare, Arosi, Gela, Ghari, Kahua, Kwaio, Kwara’ae, Lau, Lengo, Longgu, Oroha, Owa, Sa'a, Santa Cruz, Talise

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 19.03.24. Last modified: 29.04.24

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