Rotokas New Testament (ROOWBT)

Overview

The Rotokas New Testament, titled "Airepa Vae Reo Ovoi," was published in 1982 as the first complete Scripture in the Rotokas language, translated by SIL linguists Irwin and Jacqueline Firchow who lived among the Rotokas people in Togarao village from 1965 to 1985 [1][2]. Rotokas is a North Bougainville language spoken by approximately 4,000 people in central Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, and is notable for having one of the world's smallest alphabets, consisting of only 12 letters (a, e, g, i, k, o, p, r, s, t, u, v) corresponding to a minimal phonemic inventory of 11 sounds [1][3]. The Firchows' phonological analysis of the Central Rotokas dialect, published in 1969, identified this remarkably small inventory of six consonants and five vowels, which guided the design of the simplified orthography used in the New Testament and subsequent literacy materials [3]. Earlier trial editions of individual books including the Gospels of Mark and John, Acts, and an abridged Genesis had been circulated prior to the complete 1982 publication [1].

Language and People

Rotokas (ISO 639-3: roo) is spoken by approximately 4,320 people in Papua New Guinea, Map 13. [Glottolog: roto1249]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Translation type: First.

References