Kala Lagaw Bible Portions (MWPWBT)

Overview

The Kala Lagaw Bible Portions is a 2014 collection of Scripture portions in Kala Lagaw Ya (ISO 639-3: mwp), the indigenous language of the western and central Torres Strait Islands in Queensland, Australia [1]. This publication, titled "Nabi Arkath Nanga Kuykaymaydhin" in the vernacular, builds on a long history of Bible translation for the Torres Strait Islander people that dates back to 1900, when the first Scripture portions in Kala Lagaw Ya were published by the British and Foreign Bible Society, following the establishment of the London Missionary Society mission on Erub (Darnley Island) in 1871 [2]. A Kala Lagaw Ya Mini Bible ("Minar Peolayzimayl") was also published in 1993, produced in partnership with the Australian Society for Indigenous Languages (AuSIL), which was established by Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1961 [3]. The language is classified within the Pama-Nyungan family, though it has significant Papuan and Austronesian vocabulary layers, and is considered highly endangered as younger generations increasingly shift to English and Torres Strait Creole [4][5].

Language and People

Kala Lagaw Ya (ISO 639-3: mwp) is spoken by approximately 960 people in Northern Australia. [Glottolog: kala1377]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Translation type: New.

References