Meriam Mir Bible (ULKWBT)

Overview

Portions of the Holy Bible in the Meriam Mir language, translated by Wycliffe Bible Translators between 1986 and 1989. [1] Meriam Mir is the language of the Meriam people of the eastern Torres Strait Islands, spoken on Mer (Murray Island), Erub (Darnley Island), and Ugar (Stephens Island) in Queensland, Australia. [2] It is the only Papuan language on Australian territory, belonging to the Eastern Trans-Fly language family with connections to languages in the Fly River area of Papua New Guinea. [2][3] This translation is described as a draft and includes portions of several biblical books. [1] The language is classified as critically endangered, with transmission declining rapidly among younger generations. [3] As of the 2016 Australian Census, approximately 217 speakers were recorded. [2] The draft nature of this translation reflects the challenges of producing Scripture in a small, endangered language community where ongoing translation work has not continued. [4]

Language and People

Meriam Mir (ISO 639-3: ulk) is spoken by approximately 220 people in Northern Australia. [Glottolog: meri1244]

References