Makolkol is a possible Papuan language formerly spoken on the Gazelle Peninsula of East New Britain Province on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Stebbins (2010) reports it is unattested.[2] Palmer (2018) treats it as unclassified.[3]

Makolkol
(unattested)
RegionNew Britain
Native speakers
7 in 1988. May still be alive (2016)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3zmh
Glottologmako1250
ELPMakolkol

It is not known if it was related to the neighboring Baining languages.

Rosensteel (1988) contains a 174-word list of Makolkol.[4]

Sociolinguistic situation

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Makolkol was spoken only in the village of Gunapeo. Speakers were shifting to Tok Pisin and Meramera.[5] Rosensteel (1988) reported that out of a total population of about 35 ethnic people, there were 7 elderly fluent speakers.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Makolkol at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)  
  2. ^ Dunn, Michael. 2012. Systematic typological comparison as a tool for investigating language history.
  3. ^ Palmer, Bill (2018). "Language families of the New Guinea Area". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 1–20. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
  4. ^ a b Rosensteel, Gary L. 1988. A sociolinguistic survey report on five Baining languages: Kairak, Makolkol, Mali, Simbali and Uramët. Unpublished manuscript. Ukarumpa: SIL.
  5. ^ Makolkol. Languages of Papua New Guinea. SIL International. (PDF).