The Mwotlap audio scripture resource produced by Wycliffe Bible Translators makes the Word of God accessible to the approximately 2,300 speakers of Mwotlap, an Oceanic language of the Banks Islands in Vanuatu. Mwotlap (formerly known as Motlav) is spoken primarily on the island of Mota Lava and its neighboring island Ra, with smaller communities in Vanua Lava and in the cities of Port Vila and Santo. [1] The language was extensively documented by French linguist Alexandre François beginning in the early 2000s, bringing it greater academic attention within the broader study of Vanuatu's extraordinary linguistic diversity—the country has over 130 languages for a population of under 300,000. [2] Bible portions in the related Mota language have existed since 1971; Wycliffe Bible Translators has extended scripture access to the Mwotlap community through audio production. Vanuatu has been the site of active translation work, with 12 languages having completed New Testament translations over the past four decades.

Language and People

Mwotlap (ISO 639-3: mlv) is spoken by approximately 2,300 people in Vanuatu. [Glottolog: mwot1238]

Publishing and Organizations

Produced by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.

References