Rawa New Testament (RWOWBT)

Overview

The Rawa New Testament, titled "Anutro Mande Keta," was published in 1992 by Wycliffe Bible Translators in the Rawa dialect, the first New Testament completed for the Rawa language community. Rawa is a Finisterre language of the Trans-New Guinea family spoken in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, with two main dialects -- Rawa and Karo -- located on opposite sides of the Finisterre Range [1][2]. The Rawa dialect community (also known as Erewa) numbers approximately 15,000 speakers, making it the larger of the two dialect groups [3]. Bible portions in Rawa date back to 1978, and the 1992 New Testament was followed by a separate translation in the Karo dialect published in 2001, reflecting the significant linguistic differences between the two varieties [3]. SIL linguists Donald F. and Norma R. Toland contributed foundational linguistic documentation for the language, including a reference grammar published in 1991 [4].

Language and People

Rawa (ISO 639-3: rwo) is spoken by approximately 11,500 people in Papua New Guinea, Map 10. [Glottolog: karo1302]

Publishing and Organizations

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

References