The lingua franca Tok Pisin is becoming more frequently spoken due to intergroup contact, education, and travel for work.

Education is carried out in Tok Pisin through Grade 2, then in English thereafter. Christian activities are carried out in Tok Pisin and sometimes Paluai. Traditional knowledge such as particular chants and kinship connections are beginning to be lost as elders pass on without imparting full knowledge to younger speakers.

There is extensive cultural pressure to speak Tok Pisin and, to a lesser extent, English. While Tok Pisin is primarily a lingua franca between language groups in PNG, the language is entering into more domains. Often speakers of Paluai use Tok Pisin with each other and may use extensive code-switching and borrowing between the two languages. Specialized registers, such as traditional song genres, are being lost in Paluai. In school, while use of Paluai is encouraged, Tok Pisin is often the primary language used. English is introduced after grade 3.

There are two languages spoken on Baluan Island: Paluai and Titan. Titan is spoken in Mouk village. Tok Pisin is acquired by Paluai speakers from birth, and they are introduced to English in primary school. There are also populations of expatriate Paluai speakers. For these speakers, there is more pressure to speaker Tok Pisin and English. Older members of the Paluai-speaking community may have at least a passive command of Titan, Lou, or both.