West Kewa Bible (KEWPNG)

Overview

Portions of Ruth, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the New Testament in the West Kewa language of Papua New Guinea. The original West Kewa New Testament, titled "Gotena Epe Agaa," was translated by Karl J. Franklin and Joice Franklin of SIL International with the help of many West Kewa people, and published by the Bible Society of Australia in 1973. [1][2] Karl Franklin began fieldwork with SIL's Papua New Guinea Branch in 1958, earning his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the Australian National University in 1969 based on his work with the Kewa language. [3] The Franklins returned from 2002 to 2004 to assist with a revision of the West Kewa New Testament and with a new translation into East Kewa; the revised edition was published in 2004. [1][4] West Kewa and East Kewa are mutually intelligible dialects with approximately 45,000 speakers each in the Southern Highlands Province. [4]

Language and People

West Kewa (ISO 639-3: kew) is spoken by approximately 45,000 people in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. [4] The Kewa people inhabit a highland valley region, and the language is part of the Trans-New Guinea phylum. [1] Karl Franklin also produced a grammar and dictionary of Kewa, the latter published by the Australian National University in 1978. [1] Papua New Guinea, Map 9. [Glottolog: west2599]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Bible Society of Papua New Guinea.

References