Hiri Motu
A simplified Motu-based lingua franca of Papua New Guinea.
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea spoken in surrounding areas of its capital city, Port Moresby. It is a simplified version of Motu, from the Austronesian language family, and while strictly neither a pidgin nor a creole, it possesses features of both. The language has some statutory recognition and was historically used as a lingua franca, though its use has been declining in favor of Tok Pisin and English.
- language_family
- Austronesian (simplified from Motu)
- region
- Papua New Guinea, around Port Moresby
- dialects
- Austronesian (central) and Papuan (non-central)
- word_order
- Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) and Object-Subject-Verb (OSV)
- number_system
- Up to 100,000; numbers 1–5: ta, rua, toi, hani, ima
- status
- Declining; speakers tend to be elderly in Central and Gulf provinces
Lore & Background
Hiri Motu developed among members of the Hiri trade cycle, a traditional voyage system for trading sago and clay pots between the Motu people and their neighbors on the southeast coast of New Guinea, predating European contact. The term 'hiri' refers to these trade voyages. In early European colonial days, the language was adopted by the Royal Papuan Constabulary, giving it the name Police Motu. The name Hiri Motu was conceptualized in the early 1970s during a conference held by the Department of Information and Extension Services, where a committee recommended the name to reflect the language's legacy and everyday use rather than its association with the police.
Reader's Guide
Hiri Motu's significance lies in its role as a lingua franca in Papua New Guinea, particularly in the areas around Port Moresby, and its historical connection to the Hiri trade voyages and the Royal Papuan Constabulary. The language reflects a blend of Austronesian and pidgin/creole features, with a simplified grammar and vocabulary derived from Motu. Its decline since the early 1970s in favor of Tok Pisin and English marks a shift in linguistic dynamics in the region. The language's statutory recognition and its use in official publications until the mid-20th century highlight its former importance. Today, its speakers are mostly elderly, concentrated in Central and Gulf provinces, and younger speakers of Motu proper are often unfamiliar with it. The language's unique features, such as the inclusive/exclusive distinction in 'we', the use of postpositions, and the optional subject marker 'ese' to resolve ambiguity, illustrate its linguistic structure. The legacy of Hiri Motu is preserved in linguistic studies and collections, such as those at Paradisec, and it remains a subject of interest for understanding language contact and change in Papua New Guinea.
Did You Know?
- Hiri Motu has two dialects: 'Austronesian' (central) and 'Papuan' (non-central), with the Papuan dialect used as the standard for official publications since around 1964.
- The language uses postpositions; for example, 'ai' can mean 'in', 'on', or 'at', and fuses with words like 'lalonai' (inside) and 'latanai' (on top of).
- Hiri Motu has no verb form for 'to have'; possession is expressed with phrases like 'Lau na mai egu sisia' (literally 'I with my dog').
- The number 99 in Hiri Motu is 'taurahanita ahui taurahanita', but most Papuans use the English number system instead.
More in Specific Languages 1-24
Elsewhere in the Specific Languages universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record