Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Labu', Labo, Hapa
CLASSIFICATION		Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, North New Guinea
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		lbu
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)” . M. Paul Lewis · SIL International

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
1,600
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
" 800 in Labu-Butu." Data for the number of native speakers comes from SIL (1989).

PLACES: Papua New Guinea;

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
1,600
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
1600
Native speakers worldwide

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

"Only the very old (60-70 years of age), perhaps 1% of the population, use Labu as their sole means of communication. Only those above 45 years of age use it as their primary means of communication."

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

"As a language, Labu has negative status both inside and outside the community."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Tok Pisin
English

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"In domains where the vernacular is used, Tok Pisin is also used. Thus there are no domains in which the vernacular is the sole means of communication."

PLACES: Papua New Guinea

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Villages of Labu-butu (population 800), Labu-miti (population 500), and Labu-tali (population 300). "There is a fourth settlement of approximately 50 people reported to be located at the Markham bridge.."

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "Geographically, the Labu speech communities are bounded on the north by the mouth of the Markham River, across which sits the city of Lae, Sugarloaf mountain to the south, to the west by a swamp, and to the east by the Solomon sea."

		1998	Indicators of Ethnolinguistic Vitality: Case Study of Two Languages: Labu and Vanimo	Endangered Languages: What Role for the Specialist?	64-72	Proceedings of the Second FEL Conference, held at the Pollock Halls, University of Edinburgh, 25-27 September 1998	Ostler, Nicholas	The Foundation for Endangered Languages	Bath		Landweer, M. Lynn			1600	1000-9999		church, school, commerce, medicine	Tok Pisin, English	"As a language, Labu has negative status both inside and outside the community."	"In domains where the vernacular is used, Tok Pisin is also used. Thus there are no domains in which the vernacular is the sole means of communication."	Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	12	"Only the very old (60-70 years of age), perhaps 1% of the population, use Labu as their sole means of communication. Only those above 45 years of age use it as their primary means of communication."	14	14	"Geographically, the Labu speech communities are bounded on the north by the mouth of the Markham River, across which sits the city of Lae, Sugarloaf mountain to the south, to the west by a swamp, and to the east by the Solomon sea."	Papua New Guinea	Villages of Labu-butu (population 800), Labu-miti (population 500), and Labu-tali (population 300). "There is a fourth settlement of approximately 50 people reported to be located at the Markham bridge.."
			World Oral Literature Project							http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.		1,600	1000-9999						Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
0199255911		2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures				Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer	Oxford University Press	New York			2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.																	-6.75,146.916666667
	16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)				M. Paul Lewis	SIL International	Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	1,600	1000-9999	" 800 in Labu-Butu." Data for the number of native speakers comes from SIL (1989).					Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)						Papua New Guinea;

Labu

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1,600

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1,600

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1600

Discussion

Labu

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1,600

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1,600

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1600

Discussion

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